Vampire Goddess
by eglantine16
Summary: A heartbroken Bella suffers a type of amnesia after the cliff-diving incident. But instead of erasing her memories, her illness brings to light a power she never knew she possessed. On hiatus.
1. Prologue: Jump

**Vampire Goddess**

A heartbroken Bella suffers a type of amnesia after the cliff-diving incident. But instead of erasing her memories, her illness brings to light a power she never knew she possessed.

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the woman who ruined my life (Stephanie Meyer) by introducing me to the man I can never have (Edward Cullen). _

_There are certain themes in this story that heavily reflect the film Hancock. I don't own that either, sadly enough. _

**A/N:** While I am not usually one for Twilight AU or OOC (unless it involves human characters), this story kept hovering in my head and I just had to get it out.

Also, the pieces of this prologue that are in italics are taken from _New Moon_, specifically pages 362-363

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**Prologue: Jump**

_I didn't want to fight anymore. And it wasn't the light-headedness, or the cold, or the failure of my arms as the muscles gave out in exhaustion, that made me content to stay where I was. I was almost happy that it was over. This was an easier death than others I'd faced. Oddly peaceful._

…_Happiness. It made the whole dying thing pretty bearable._

The darkness was overwhelming black. But it didn't bother me. I wasn't scared of the dark. My body was numb, and I could no longer feel the frigid water dragging me down, nor the pain in my lungs.

Dying was all right. This was never how I'd imagined I'd go. Death was supposed to hurt, right? But this didn't. Surprisingly, my mind began to wander…it didn't even hurt to think about Edward anymore.

"Edward…" I whispered, my mouth filling with water. My perfect Adonis. The epitome of perfection…my reason for existence. And if he didn't want me, why exist? Why breathe, why let my heart beat? Why pretend for everyone that it was okay, when it really wasn't?

Maybe in the afterlife, I'd get him back. If anything ever happened to him, I was positive we'd end up in the same place together. Heaven, or hell. Whatever. It really didn't matter. Purgatory would do just as well. As long as I had time to get him back. To make him realize that we had eternity, and that he still loved me.

Heaven…it wasn't something I thought about much, until I met the Cullens. Where my soul might end up had never been something of interest to me, as my family wasn't particularly religious. But now, I found that it mattered very much.

There had to be a heaven. The Cullens believed in an afterlife, although they didn't think they'd be there. At least, Edward didn't, the stubborn, crazy, gorgeous idiot. Even if heaven were a myth…well…that didn't really play into the equation anymore, did it? Nothing was a myth anymore.

As I sunk lower into the water, my head began to spin with all the tales of mythology I'd read as a preteen. Of Zeus and Hera, Hercules and Aphrodite. Were they real too? The Fates? Was life merely a string that could be cut at any moment?

It would appear so.

Angels were probably real, too. And witches. And werewolves had already popped up in my life. That was no question.

What about mermaids? The possibilities were endless. But now, I'd never get the chance to find out. Maybe I'd ask God when this was over.

If it was ever going to be over, that is.

I was growing impatient. The sweet numbness that had enveloped me just a moment ago was slowly being replaced by the previous burning in my lungs. This wasn't how it was supposed to go…I'd had it all figured out!

_The current won at that moment, shoving me abruptly against something hard, a rock invisible in the gloom. It hit me solidly across the chest, slamming into me like an iron bar, and the breath whooshed out of my lungs, escaping in a thick cloud of silver bubbles. Water flooded down my throat, choking and burning. The iron bar seemed to be dragging me…deeper into the dark, to the ocean floor. _

…_At that moment, my head broke the surface. _


	2. Awake

**Vampire Goddess**

A heartbroken Bella suffers a type of amnesia after the cliff-diving incident. But instead of erasing her memories, her illness brings to light a power she never knew she possessed.

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the woman who ruined my life (Stephenie Meyer) by introducing me to the man I can never have (Edward Cullen). _

_There are certain themes in this story that heavily reflect the film Hancock. I don't own that either, sadly enough. _

**A/N: **This chapter is about a gazillion times longer than the prologue. Enjoy. ;)

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 1: Awake**

I remembered swimming lessons. Yes. That was pretty definite. And it was the best way to describe what I was feeling.

It was different than the drowning had been. This was like a cross between swimming and floating. It was quite odd, but a little comforting to know that I could just float.

Everything around me was sort of dark…at least, I think it was. I wasn't really paying much attention. I found myself easily distracted in this half floating, half swimming state. There was a beeping noise that keep creeping up out of nowhere, and it was quite irritating. Once in a while, I felt the brush of a hand, or a whisper, but it always disappeared too quickly. I struggled between trying to figure it out, and trying to ignore it.

Although I was swimming through the murky unknown of wherever I was, at the same time I knew full well that I was immobile. I couldn't move. Or at least, I didn't move…I could have, if I wanted too. I felt an inexplicable knowledge that I had more strength than I had before I'd taken that jump. It was like eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I knew that I had a physical power, but I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to use it.

At one point, I felt something go down my throat…a breathing tube? Weird.

I knew that I could easily rip it away. Hell, that was nothing. I could move a mountain.

After a while, the murkiness, and the floating, and the possibility of power, and the whispered conversations that I couldn't truly grasp, and the distractions were too much to bear.

It was time to wake up.

I stumbled in the dark, no longer floating. The calm swimming feeling was gone, too, the minute I decided I'd had enough vague uncertainty. It was like I'd been locked in a closet; a vast, endless closet just like Alice's, and I was sitting at the far end. There was a crack of light under the door.

If I could just reach it…

I crawled to the door. The air was terribly thick and heavy. As I got closer to the light, the whispers became audible words, and I distinctly felt a cool touch on my forehead.

I'd know that hand anywhere. It had tended me on more than one occasion.

Carlisle.

Carlisle Cullen.

The audible words began to make sense, and suddenly, I could breathe.

"How is she, Dr. Cullen? Any change?"

I knew that voice…something from my childhood, perhaps. I summoned the mental picture of a policeman. I felt as though I ought to recognize the brown eyes. I found myself slightly disturbed that I could not recall who this man was. And yet, I'd recognized Carlisle immediately, without even hearing his voice or seeing his face.

Oh, yeah. The policeman's eyes were the exact same shade of chocolate as my own. It was Charlie.

I thought about this for a second before focusing on Carlisle's cold touch.

"Her breathing has changed," he said thoughtfully, and I heard him turn to the side. "I think she may wake up soon."

"Good," Charlie sounded relieved. I wondered why he'd been so worried. Didn't he know I wanted the darkness? Because the darkness would surely lead to eternity.

Oh…that's right. Charlie didn't know about the Cullens. So of course he didn't know why I would do anything to be with my vampire love for eternity.

At this point, I blocked out the voices for just a moment. It seemed to me that I was processing all this information rather quickly. Except for that bit about Charlie, which sort of had me miffed. I made a mental note. And then there was the presence of the power and strength just within my grasp. Something had changed.

I opened the door, and the light flooded the closet as my eyes slowly inched open.

"Carlisle," I said. Or rather, tried to say. Nothing came out because there was a tube down my throat, as I'd suspected.

I turned my head to the side, suddenly extremely irritated. I took in my surroundings quickly.

A pale hospital room.

Okay, I was still Bella. The hospital was not new for me.

I glanced up at Carlisle, and was momentarily stunned by his unearthly face. It had been so long since I'd seen him that my poor human memories did him no justice.

"Bella," he murmured approvingly. "You're awake."

"Thank God," Charlie croaked from Carlisle's elbow. I didn't even bother to look at him. I had eyes only for Carlisle. So many questions to ask him.

"Do you think you can breathe all right if I take the tube out?" he asked gently. "Blink twice for yes."

I blinked quickly. _Get this effing thing out of me!_

He worked quickly, but remained at a fast human pace for Charlie's sake. The tube pressed uncomfortably against my tongue as he withdrew it, and I took a gasp of air as soon as I was gone. The pain in my lungs had ceased.

I was pretty sure I was alive, but it never hurt to ask.

"Am I dead?" my voice sounded crackly, and I wondered if I could stomach some water. I'd already had so much after jumping…

"No," Carlisle chuckled, picking up my wrist to check my pulse, although he could have simply turned to the monitor. If anything, he would know my exact pulse and BP level just by listening. "You had an accident it seems…ah, pulse is normal. Your vitals appear to be stable," he was now scribbling on my chart.

"What…um…how did I get here? I was…in the water—" I struggled, finding it harder to speak than I'd thought. My throat was raw and swollen from being intubated.

"Jacob found you!" Charlie spoke up. "What a great kid. He saved your life, Bells."

"Oh."

"Yes. You'd swallowed quite a bit of water; young Mr. Black attempted CPR, but couldn't revive you, although he managed to get some water out of your lungs," Carlisle began to explain. I focused on him, trying to listen. I was suddenly immensely angry. Jacob had tried CPR? Like, as in _mouth to mouth_? Ugh. I was going to kill him.

"They pumped your stomach when you got here, and that took care of the water, but they couldn't get you to awaken. They called me in for a consult from _Los Angeles_…" at this, Carlisle winked subtly at me. I knew that the Cullens would never have gone to LA. Too sunny. "You were unconscious for an alarming amount of time. It's been nearly twenty-four hours."

I sighed. Twenty-four hours of dark bliss.

Carlisle brought a small flashlight in front of me, and waved it over my pupils to make sure my eyes were responding completely. I squinted. The light was terribly bright.

He chuckled. "It's all right, that's perfectly normal. You'll have a headache for the next few days. And there may be some things that you have trouble remembering. Often there are cases of amnesia connected with being comatose for so long."

"I'm fine." _Ha. No I'm not. I couldn't remember who my own father is. _"But…" I sighed. "Um. Can I speak you to in private for a moment?"

"Bella?" Charlie broke into my line of vision, his worried face hovering over me. "What's wrong? You can say anything you need to in front of me, honey."

"Er…I know, it's just that…um—" I stuttered, then coughed.

Carlisle put his hand on Charlie's shoulder, and quickly ushered him out with, "Doctor-patient confidentiality, sir. You know how it is."

I heard the door close, and struggled to sit up. Carlisle was there in a millisecond. "You had better remain reclined, Bella," he pushed lightly against my arm, and I collapsed back into the foam-filled hospital pillows.

"Would you like some water?"

"Please."

I'd barely said the word when I found a plastic cup in my hand. I smiled. Vampire speed came in handy. I'd missed it, despite all the times I'd found it annoying. I took a few sips, finding it rather hard to swallow. It was worth it, though. My lips didn't feel as though they were going to shrivel up and fall of my face anymore.

"Don't drink too much," Carlisle cautioned. I nodded, and set the cup on the bedside table.

"Is he here?" I said bluntly, clearing my throat. I didn't have to specify. He knew exactly what I meant. Come to think of it, I'm surprised I was so calm. Normally, I would have wrapped my arms around my stomach to keep myself together.

He sighed, and I glanced up at him, realizing for the first time that his eyes looked more tired than I'd ever seen them. "Yes, and no," he answered me slowly.

My heart beat sped up, but I wasn't sure if it was from elation or fear. "What do you mean?" my voice sounded breathy.

"Edward is here, in the hospital. But your father absolutely refused to let him near you, Bella. He's…concerned for you. Charlie is, I mean. He's positive that you were trying to commit suicide by jumping off of that cliff," Carlisle began to explain. He sat on the edge of the bed.

"Bella. Look at me."

I turned my head towards him.

"What were you trying to do?"

I coughed, and reached for the water, but found it already in my hands. "Thanks," I muttered under my breath before taking two more sips. "It was because of him," I admitted, my eyes on Carlisle's face. "You're going to think I'm insane…I used to…_hear_ him. Inside my head. Whenever I did something irrational or stupid. It was as though he were still here with me. Crazy, right?" I shook my head at myself. "And then I thought to myself that if I were to die…maybe…just maybe I had a chance of getting him back in the afterlife. Although that wasn't my original intention by jumping, I figured that would be the repercussion."

Carlisle nodded, his face solemn. "Bella, I don't think you understand the pain that you have caused both your father and Edward by this charade."

I blinked. I hadn't expected him to be so straightforward.

"Edward still loves you. We left at his insistence. He wanted to protect you at all costs after what took place on your birthday."

I cringed inwardly at the memory of my disastrous birthday party, but at the same time, my head laughed at my heart. There was no way he could still love me. _He said we weren't good for each other. He said it. _

"He wanted to make you safe, even if it required taking himself out of the picture," Carlisle continued his explanation slash scolding. "He never stopped caring for you. He was practically impossible to live with, when he _was_ around—"

"What do you mean?" I interrupted.

"He didn't stay with us the entire time we were gone. He was…hunting."

"Oh." _Right. Hunting. Sure. Distractions, more likely. _

"My point is…" he paused, and his gaze deepened with meaning, "that because of this stunt you pulled, your father isn't going to let him near you. Charlie thinks that Edward ruined your life, and because of your depression, you were suicidal. He's not going to understand anything about wanting to be in the afterlife, or the Volturi."

"The…Volturi?" I was puzzled. How did they play into this?

"Yes. Edward was planning on going to them after he heard that you were dead."

"What?" I shrieked, my heart rate spiking again. I forced myself to sit up, my head spinning. I felt sick to my stomach. "He was going to go to _Italy_?"

Carlisle leaned closer. "He told you about them?"

"Yes! That idiot," I fumed. "How dare he try to get himself killed? He—"

"Bella…Bella Swan," Carlisle's voice became colder, and I realized he was in human-doctor mode, caring only for his patient. "Calm down, or you will hurt yourself."

I took a deep breath, and lay down again. My heart was frantic. I tried to calm it, knowing Carlisle could hear every beat.

"Bella. You're like a daughter to me. But I have to tell you that you have no reason to be angry with Edward. He only wanted to do away with himself because he thought that you had killed _yourself_. You initiated it. Alice saw you jumping, and made the mistake of telling Rosalie. Rosalie told Edward, and he was half-way to New York by the time I got a hold of him and told him that they'd called me in to have a look at you," he voice softened. "He loves you. I can see by the look in your eyes that you do not believe me. What a lie he must have told you…"

I mused over this momentarily. _Don't be angry for him doing exactly the same thing __**you**__ did. But…it just doesn't make sense…he said…ugh, whatever. I can deal with that in a moment_.

"Carlisle…you don't think I'm crazy, do you?" I started out on a new facet of the conversation, presently determined to have my questions answered.

"No. Just in love," he smiled, probably thinking of Esme.

"Well, I think I am. Crazy, that is," I paused, and then rushed through the next few sentences. "Cause even before I woke up right now I felt _strong_, like I could do anything, and then it was really weird cause I knew you were in the room before I even opened my eyes, but I couldn't recognize my own father's voice, and I'm having a hard time remembering anything that doesn't have to do with Edward or your family…what's wrong with me?" I hurried.

"You feel strong?" Carlisle clarified.

"Yeah…like…I-can-throw-a-boulder kind of strong…or I-can-wrestle-Emmett-and-win kind of strong," I admitted.

Carlisle stared at me, and I blushed. "Never mind. I'm insane. Is Alice here?" I changed the subject, feeling my blood boil on my cheeks.

"Yes. The whole family came," he said, still staring. "Bella…would it be okay if we do some tests later this week? I'm curious as to these symptoms you've just mentioned."

_Some things never change…ever-curious Carlisle_.

"Sure. That's fine—" I began, but without warning found that I was constricted in a pair of steel arms.

"Isabella Swan, don't you _ever_ scare me like that again!" the sweet voice belonging to the strong arms said. "Never, ever, do you understand?"

"Alice…can't…breathe…" I managed to get out before the pixie-like Alice strangled me.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she backed away slightly, still keeping me in a loose embrace. "I was so worried about you! You're my best friend, you can't just go jumping off of cliffs! I saw you go, and then I couldn't see you anymore! It was awful!" she wailed. If vampires could cry, I'm pretty sure she would have been.

"Yeah, it's great to see you too, Alice," I said, laughing a little. It hurt to laugh. I took another sip of water as she released me.

I looked up to see the room suddenly full of vampires, and I wondered vaguely if Charlie still thought I was alone with Carlisle. "Wow. That was...quick," I said.

"Bella…"

My blood stopped dead in my veins, and I held my breath. I looked at Emmett, who was grinning like a kid in candy store, and he stepped aside to reveal a pair of piercing, furious golden eyes.


	3. Red

**Vampire Goddess**

A heartbroken Bella suffers a type of amnesia after the cliff-diving incident. But instead of erasing her memories, her illness brings to light a power she never knew she possessed.

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the woman who ruined my life (Stephenie Meyer) by introducing me to the man I can never have (Edward Cullen). _

_There are certain themes in this story that heavily reflect the film Hancock. I don't own that either, sadly enough. _

**A/N: **Italicized sections with quotations are from New Moon, specifically pages 452, 486, 490, and 509.

All other italicization is for emphasis or to indicate Bella's thoughts.

And many thanks to those who have reviewed. Y'all get virtual brownies. =)

* * *

**Chapter 2: Red**

I stopped breathing for a moment. My heart had frozen, and I knew they could all hear it. Not wanting them to know how off-guard I was, I took a deep gulp, letting air back into my lungs. I shifted, slightly uncomfortable.

His eyes were fierce. They were like golden fire. They were the eyes of a killer. These were not the kind eyes of my fantasies; rather, they were the angry eyes of my delusions.

He looked like a vampire.

Despite my discomfort and fear of his temper, my unsteady heart soared. He was here. He'd come to see me. Me. Bella. The one he'd loved, once upon a time. A frail human, unworthy of his attention.

Edward stepped forward hesitantly, his livid eyes wavering for a second. Before I could blink, he was at my side, and he clutched me close to him.

"_It was very strange…" _because I knew that he couldn't possibly care. He must have been humoring me seeing as how I'd almost died. Hell, I'd jumped off a cliff because of him… _"Still, in that instant, I felt __**well**__. Whole. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, the blood pulsing hot and fast through my veins again. My lungs filled deep with the sweet scent that came off his skin. It was like there had never been any hole in my chest. I was perfect—not healed, but as if there had been no wound in the first place." _

I found my arms around his neck, squeezing tightly. I let myself pretend that he meant his embrace. That he still cared a little bit for me. It was so much easier to pretend.

"Bella, Bella…my Bella," his voice had softened immensely from a moment ago, and I felt the brush of his lips against my hair and forehead.

"_Here in his arms, it was so easy to fantasize that he wanted me. I didn't want to think about his motivations now… Maybe the time apart had been enough that I didn't bore him for the moment. But it didn't matter. I was so much happier pretending."_

"Edward…" I whispered, unsure of my voice.

"Bella, I was so frightened and upset. You have no idea how glad I am that you are well…" he paused, then spoke into my brown locks. "I love you."

I scowled and attempted to push him away. He pulled back slightly; I stared at him, feeling nearly the same anger that I'd had a moment ago when I'd heard he wanted to go to Italy. "Don't lie to me," I said bitterly. _Way to ruin my moment. Can't I just be left alone with my fantasy?_

"I'm not lying. Not now, silly Bella—" his grasp on my arms tightened.

"If you aren't lying, then—Oh God, I _did_ drown!" I stuttered.

I wrenched myself away and buried my face in my hands. Carlisle was right. Poor, poor Charlie. This would hurt him so much, to find that I was dead. _Damn. I should have thought this out more before I jumped._

I felt Alice's hand on my other arm, soothingly calm.

Perhaps this was why I felt that odd power. Because it wasn't my normal body. Did heaven have hospitals?

Edward's freezing, hard hands pried my trembling fingers away from my face gently, and I saw that he was worried. His face was an open book, for once. "Bella, love, you didn't drown. That _dog_ saved you."

"Then you _are_ lying to me. Don't patronize me!" I yelled, surprised at my own outburst. I felt my eyes burning and I wondered mildly if I was going to cry. This force…this anger…it was so unlike me. I should have been reveling in the moments that I had with him here. _"I knew it was stupid to react like this. Who knew how much time I had to look at his face?"_ But I couldn't help myself. I felt as though anger was running through the IV into my bloodstream.

Jasper sent a wave of calmness in my direction, but it didn't work. It only fueled my wrath.

Edward didn't let go of me. Instead, he gathered me closer, and turned to Carlisle. "What _is_ this?" he asked, his voice strained and awkwardly scared. "What's wrong with her?"

I struggled in his firm grip. "Nothing is wrong with me!" my voice was terribly loud, even to my own ears. "I just don't like being lied to! Let _**go**_!" I shoved him away.

He stumbled backwards, a shocked look on his perfect face. I couldn't really comprehend it. My fury was too severe.

"Good Lord…" Carlisle murmured, stepping closer. Alice gripped my arm. I didn't understand. Why couldn't they just understand that I was pissed?

"Bella. Your…your _eyes_…" Edward said, clearly flabbergasted. "You—you _pushed_ me. _You_ pushed…_**me**_. How the hell—"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, gripping the blankets around me. Everybody knew that there was no way I could push Edward. His strength far surpassed mine.

I suddenly found a hand mirror in front of me. "Look at yourself," Carlisle ordered in his harshest tone.

"What? I—" strangely curious, since Carlisle had spoken so roughly, I looked in the mirror.

My eyes were red.

Horrified, I snatched the mirror from him, and stared at my reflection, the rage slowly dissipating.

"Talk about seeing red…" I mumbled under my breath.

"Carlisle, what is this? What happened to her?" Edward asked.

"I don't know," he answered softly, his mind obviously going a thousand miles an hour.

I was still looking at my glowing red orbs, but I spoke in a deadpan voice. "Are you sure? Have you not seen anything like this before? I mean, you've been around so long, Carlisle."

Silence filled the room. I tore my eyes away from my image. All seven vampires, even Rosalie, were staring at me.

"Did you just hear me?" Edward looked taken aback. "Did you hear Carlisle?"

"Yeah, of course. I may be human, but I'm not deaf," I said in an offended tone.

Alice's hand on my arm moved, and she turned my face towards her. "Wow," she gasped. "Look, Dad, the red is fading. It must be connected to her anger."

"But a newborn's eyes?" Esme spoke for the first time since entering the room. I'd almost forgotten she was there. I gave her a generous smile. I loved Esme dearly. It may sound thoughtless, but I almost loved her more than Renee. "It doesn't make sense."

Jasper interceded. "But remember, this is Bella. There are lots of things about her that we don't understand."

"Yes, but what could have caused this? She didn't have red eyes before, she didn't have any supernatural strength, and for crying out loud, she heard me and Carlisle speaking soft and quick! No human should be able to catch that," Edward was clearly exasperated.

"What do you care?" I was feeling bold. "Go back to your distractions if you don't like…whatever it is that's happening to me." The pitch of my voice was rough, but deep in my soul, I was quivering.

_Newborn eyes_._ Superhuman strength_. _And now hearing abilities?_

Edward was at my side in a flash, hovering right above me.

"'_Bella, you seem to be under a misapprehension.'"_ His words were different now. Not frustrated or angry. _"'I thought I'd explained it clearly before. Bella, I can't live in a world where you don't exist.'" _

I watched his face. I felt myself slipping back into my pretend world. Where he cared. And right now, he was being an amazing actor. I almost believed it.

"I do care. I love you. I never meant what I said that day. There were no distractions."

My eyes were locked with his. I found myself breathless.

"'_I'm a good liar, Bella. I have to be.'"_

"_I froze, my muscle locking down as if for impact. The fault line in my chest rippled; the pain of it took my breath away."_

He really meant it.

"'_I'm a good liar, but still, for you to believe me so quickly.' He winced. 'That was…excruciating.'"_

He meant every word. He _had_ lied to me then, that fateful day in the forest. But not now.

My breath sped up. It was almost too good to be true. "How do I know you're telling the truth this time?" I whispered, almost to myself. My soul knew the answer already, but this new wild and inexplicable side of me, with the crazy eyes and the mood swings, needed to hear it again.

He leaned closer. As mesmerized as I was by his gaze, I realized all at once that the room was empty, except for him and me. A moment of privacy. A moment for reunion.

"Let me show you," he whispered, almost against my lips. I could almost taste him. No anger in the world justified missing this moment.

He was so close, and I wanted him to kiss me so badly, but the words tumbled out before I could stop. "Wait…" I said.

He paused, a hair breadth away from my lips. His scent was making me dizzy. "What for?" he almost growled. _Damn, I'd almost forgotten that sexy growl_.

"You…still want me. Human me…" I struggled to lift myself from the dazzled stupor he'd thrust me into. "Even now, when I'm…broken?"

He hadn't been expecting that. He leaned away, and I missed the closeness immediately.

"Broken? You aren't broken," he sounded puzzled.

"Yes, I am…you don't know what's wrong with me, and neither does Carlisle…what's with the crazy strength and…" I shuddered "the _red_ eyes? And I could hear—"

Edward threw his head back and laughed. I felt my insecurities well up inside, and was almost to the brink of anger again when he spoke.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh at you," he said, coming close again; he braced himself with his hands on either side of me. "It's just so ironic. I'm a monster, and you're worried about a little anger management. It's odd, I'll say that. But nothing is truly inexplicable, my love. I'd want you no matter what color your eyes are."

A cold finger traced the outline of my face, and his breath washed over me, calming me. His gaze was intense.

"We'll figure it out," he promised, his finger lingering over my eyebrow. "Don't worry. I'm not going to leave…unless you want me to." He said the last part hesitantly, a strange strain in his velvet voice. "Unless you've moved on."

"No!" I startled myself, throwing my arms around his neck. "Don't you dare, Edward Cullen!"

He shifted, and grimaced. "Now you've done it. Charlie's coming."

And then he was gone, and my arms were extended, grasping at nothing. I realized how loudly I'd spoken.

I heard his chuckle from the restroom. "Put your arms down."

I let them drop onto the bed, and snapped my eyes shut just as the door flew open.

"Chief Swan, please!" Carlisle's voice was the first thing I heard, and I realized he must have dashed back in here just as Charlie had opened the door.

I restrained a giggle. The vampires shooting back and forth, in and out of my room at the speed of light, were probably causing a draft out in the hallway.

"You heard her, Doc! She won't stop moping about him! She has all these terrible nightmares, and she jumped because of _him_. Please, I know you have doctor-patient confidentiality, but I must ask you to not speak of him to her. I don't want him near her!" Charlie's voice was strong.

I didn't open my eyes, afraid that the red color from a few moments before, still loitered. "Dad, I'm 18. He can talk to me about whatever he wants. Including Edward."

"But I heard you before. You—you were yelling. Upset…" Charlie fumbled for an excuse. I could tell he hadn't expected me to play the age card.

"I'm over it," I stated simply. I noticed my throat was starting to ache again. Damn tube.

"No. No. Doctor Cullen, she needs therapy," Charlie argued.

"I completely agree," said Carlisle smoothly, and I opened my eyes.

"I don't want therapy!" I tried to sit up. "I'm fine."

"Bella," Carlisle touched my shoulder. "It's what's best…" he looked at me straight in the eyes, and tightened his jaw.

Oh. He wanted to do those tests. To figure out what was actually wrong.

I lay back down. "Okay…" I muttered, closing my eyes again.

I was unexpectedly distracted by a soft purring…no, no…_growling_…from the restroom. I knew Carlisle could hear it, but with this new, um…symptom of mine, I knew that I could detect it, but Charlie couldn't. It was Edward. But that was no sexy growl. It was a warning growl. He was irritated.

I opened my eyes, no longer caring if Charlie saw anything. I saw Carlisle had stiffened. His nose twitched almost imperceptibly. _Hmm…better vision, too? Vampire aspects. But I haven't been bitten. Weird._

What had he smelled that made his nose twitch and Edward rumble?

Just as I was contemplating whether Charlie would hear me whispering super low, a tall figure appeared in the still open doorway.

I looked up, and the vehemence was back, although my eyes didn't burn. _Oh. Maybe it isn't connected. Or if it is, maybe it's controllable_.

Lightning suddenly flashed outside my window, and a roll of deep thunder followed immediately.

I narrowed my eyes at Jacob Black as he faltered on the threshold. "Hey, Bells," his words were gruff, and he was obviously uncomfortable with Carlisle being so close. Stupid vampire-werewolf animosity.

I didn't answer him. I wasn't sure what would happen if I did.

"Are you feeling okay?" his eyes darted to Carlisle, who was trying to appear undisturbed by Jacob's intrusion.

The word vomit came back. "I could ask you the same," I said menacingly.

"What are you talking about? What's the matter?"

"You tried _mouth-to-mouth resuscitation_, that's what the matter is." A flash of lightning served as my emphasis, and Edward cursed under his breath behind the bathroom door.

"To save your life!" Jacob countered.

"Yeah, sure, but I'll bet you enjoyed it! You've been trying to get in my pants—"

"Isabella!" Charlie scolded, shocked.

"No, I haven't," Jacob protested at the same time that Charlie spoke.

My rational side knew that it wasn't true. Jacob was my best friend. I probably wouldn't have been able to have survived the long months of Edward's absence without him. He liked me, yeah, but he had never tried to seduce me. He'd known I was still healing.

My irrational side didn't care. I was so much angrier now that I had been when Carlisle had told me about the CPR. I'd just meant to give Jake a bad time about it, but now my temper had me within its grasp.

"Get. Out." I ordered.

With a final look at Carlisle, and an apologetic look at the befuddled Charlie, Jake took a step back. "Okay. Fine, Bella," his voice sounded hurt. "Think whatever you want. I just wanted to save my best friend."

And then he was gone.

* * *

**A/N:** Hmm. What is wrong with Bella? Stick around to find out. It only gets better from here on out. Reviews and feedback are always appreciated. =) I'm not going to beg for them, but I must say this: if you're going to take the time to add me to your alert, favorites, or author list, please leave a review at the same time. Thanks.

So it's my birthday this weekend...yay! Anyways, because of that, I won't be updating until probably Wednesday of next week. I'll do my best to usually update at least once during each weekend, and once during the week.

And if you can't find anything to do after reading this, then I whole-heartedly suggest taking a look at "The Submissive" by tara sue me. Link is on my profile.


	4. Vision

**Vampire Goddess**

A heartbroken Bella suffers a type of amnesia after the cliff-diving incident. But instead of erasing her memories, her illness brings to light a power she never knew she possessed.

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the woman who ruined my life (Stephenie Meyer) by introducing me to the man I can never have (Edward Cullen). _

_There are certain themes in this story that heavily reflect the film Hancock. I don't own that either, sadly enough. _

**A/N: **Thank you for the lovely reviews. And I'd like to add a special shout-out to **Beach blonde, Siobhan**, and **UberLord Twilighter** for wishing me a happy birthday.

Thanks, guys. =) I had a GREAT day.

Okay, so I know that the story is moving pretty slowly, but it's going to be crazy intense, soon. Just hang in there.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Vision**

"Don't argue with destiny. It will kick your ass." –Sam, from _Burn Notice_

_

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_

The rest of the day was rather uneventful.

Well…uneventful if your view of _exciting_ entails vampire attacks and werewolf transformations. Oh, and unexplainable red eyes, superhuman strength and hearing, and a very bad temper.

If your idea of eventful has anything to do with getting x-rays taken, and having blood drawn, and all that hospital-like stuff, then I suppose the rest of the day was full.

I was miserable. My reunion with Edward had been interrupted, and Charlie didn't want him anywhere near my hospital room. Alice told me that she'd seen him and me together later that night, though, so I wasn't too worried. Just miserable and anxious.

My throat was healed enough to be able to eat, and Carlisle made sure that the hospital food was good enough for consumption. Its nice having your boyfriend's dad as your doctor.

_If Edward still considers himself my boyfriend, that is_, I thought to myself sullenly as I picked at the chicken noodle soup they'd brought me for dinner. As far as hospital food went, it was quite delicious, but I couldn't seem to concentrate. My mind kept reverting back to how it felt to be in his arms. I could only pray that he was telling the truth. There was no way that I could handle being heartbroken again.

"Bella…" I glanced up to find Alice perched on the end of my hospital bed.

"Hey, Alice," I sighed, pushing a piece of celery around with my spoon.

"I brought you some clothes from home. Carlisle says that you don't have to stay in that awful hospital gown anymore," she grinned from ear to ear, holding up a duffle bag.

I managed a smile. "Thank you. That's sweet."

In the blink of an eye, the pixie had danced to my side, the bag abandoned in the corner of the room. "Cheer up," she commanded me. "Everything will turn out just fine."

"Can you see that?" I asked, my voice a little rough. "Did you actually have a vision, or are you saying that to placate me?"

Alice tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, and I scooped up a piece of chicken.

She sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with you. But I do know that whatever it is, it's not going to get in the way of you and Edward."

"How do you know?" I took of bite of the chicken to keep myself from crying. _Damn mood swings_.

"I still see…I see you becoming one of us."

I swallowed, even though I hadn't finished chewing. "Really? Even after everything that's happened?"

"Yes…" she hesitated, and looked quite contrite. "Bella, about that; I'm so incredibly sorry for leaving without saying goodbye. It was a rotten thing to do."

"Oh, Alice…it's all right. I—I just couldn't believe you guys were gone—" my voice broke, and she wrapped her arms around me.

"It's okay to cry," she whispered. "I sometimes wish that I still could."

I felt a few tears leak out of the corners of my eyes, and I sniffled. The room was quite for a few minutes, the silence uninterrupted except for the heart monitor and the occasional sob from me.

"Am I forgiven?" she asked when I finally pulled away to wipe my face.

"Of course. You're my best friend," I answered with a shaky smile. _And hopefully you'll be my sister someday, too._

As I blew my nose into the Kleenex Alice handed me, the duffle bag appeared in my lap. "C'mon, girl. You can take a shower, and we'll get you into something more comfortable."

***

About twenty minutes later, I was outfitted in a long-sleeved blue shirt and my favorite pair of Mossimo sweats. I didn't say anything to Alice, but I was immensely glad that she had actually picked out something that I was willing to wear, and that she hadn't gone into Port Angeles to buy me high heels and a cocktail dress.

As we exited the bathroom, I eyed the IV suspiciously as I ran a comb through my wet hair. I didn't really want to get poked with another needle.

"Its okay, Carlisle doesn't think you need any more medication. And since we can hear that your heart is just fine, we don't need the monitor," Alice reassured me.

"Good," I breathed, climbing back onto the bed, and reclining against the pillows, my feet tucked under me in a cross-legged position.

"Can I give you a makeover?" Alice clasped her hands together in a prayer-like manner.

I rolled my eyes, and couldn't help but laugh. "I knew the outfit was too good to be true," I giggled. "No. What's the point? No one's going to see me—"

"That's lovely. I'm _no one_." Alice's smile dropped, and then she was on my bed, her knees touching mine. "Please? Then when Edward comes to see you tonight, you'll be just per—"

I stared at her as she broke off in mid-sentence. Her face got that _look_. One I hadn't seen in a long time. Alice was having a vision.

Her amber eyes were blank, but lively at the same time. I wondered vaguely if I would ever have a special power like hers, or Edward's.

Suddenly, her hand was gripping mine a little too forcefully as she came out of the vision. "Ouch! Alice, watch it," I tried to pull away, but she didn't let go.

"Oh, Bella. Bella, I'm sorry, but I've just never seen it so strongly before!" Alice sounded excited, yet panicked.

"What? What is it?"

"It's just your future…no, no…not your future, your _destiny_," Alice sounded terribly prophetic.

"Oh, come off it Alice, what did you see?" I insisted, still trying to get my hand back.

"I just told you, silly girl. You needn't doubt Edward tonight. He really means it. He is terribly sorry for everything he said to you, and he loves you more than anything. You two are _destined_ for each other. He just doesn't know it yet."

I felt my face flush a little bit. Were we really destined? "I wasn't planning on doubting him anymore," I defended myself.

"Well, that's how it was going to turn out. But listen, Bella: he feels terrible. He's blaming himself, and while it was his idea to leave, he had no clue that it would affect the two of you so deeply. Like I said: he doesn't know you're destined. He thinks that he's strong enough to keep you safe, no matter what it takes." Alice explained, her grip on me loosening slightly.

"I'm not safe _without_ him," I stressed.

"He knows that now. He just needs some…reassurance, as it were. It's killing him, Bella. This guilt is going to tear him apart. He needs to know you've forgiven him." Alice paused. "You _have_ forgiven him, haven't you?"

"Of course," I answered. "The moment he said that he'd want me no matter what…"

"Have you forgotten that he can't read your mind? Be sure to tell him."

"Okay. Um…Alice, what did you mean before?" I asked as she finally let go of my hand.

She tilted her head, her necklace tinkling against her marble skin. "About destiny? Only that neither of you can argue with it."

I nodded, unsure of what to say. Alice raised one eyebrow as she looked towards the door. "Charlie is sleeping out in the waiting room. Carlisle told him that they would be running tests on you until late, and so he's waiting to say good night until they're done..." she looked back at me. "He's here. Don't make too much noise, or you'll wake your dad."

Then with the lightest brush of her lips against my cheek, she disappeared.

I took a deep breath, and strained my ears. I could just barely hear Edward's footsteps. He was walking at a human pace for the sake of the nurse, who had already caught sight of him. I chuckled to myself. There was no way that my hearing was as good as his, but this new element would most likely come in handy. No more being scared out of my wits by sudden vampire appearances.

I licked my lips, hoping they weren't too chapped, and ran my fingers through my hair, pleased that it was nearly dry.

The door to my room creaked open slowly, and his head popped in. He grinned. "How are you feeling?" his voice was low.

"Good," I replied.

My enhanced vision still wasn't quite sharp enough to make out his quick move to my side, and so I was still a little startled when he appeared in front of me, sitting where Alice had been a moment ago.

"Did I frighten you?" he asked, worry lacing his beautiful voice.

"No…it's just weird, being able to see more. It's like…I couldn't really see you move, and yet I _could_. I don't know how to explain it," I struggled for the right words to explain my odd condition.

"It's all right, love. You don't have to clarify just yet. Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, and I are going to start testing you tomorrow. Rest your head for now," he told me.

"I don't want to rest—I want to talk to you."

The air was charged with electricity, and he wasn't even touching me. I took a deep breath as he nodded. "What is it, Bella?"

"I know that—that you thought you were doing the right thing by—by _leaving me_." I tried to keep my voice as even as I could. "And…what matters is that you're here now. And…"

His golden eyes caught mine. They were penetrating and fiercely beautiful, and I momentarily lost my train of thought. "Yes?" he prodded me.

"I—um…" I fumbled, trying to break away from his enchanting gaze. "Uh…you're doing it again."

"What?"

"Dazzling me," I tried to accuse him, but my voice came out like sweet honey. _Dammit, I'm hooked._

He chuckled, and the sound entranced me. I realized our knees were suddenly touching.

"Sorry. I'm not doing it on purpose."

"Yeah…um. So…" I tried to remember what had been of such importance. "So—I forgive you…" I added softly as my memory returned.

Edward's eyes brightened considerably, and I found that my fingers were laced with his. "Truly, Bella? Because I was sure that you could never even think of forgiving me. I couldn't forgive _myself_ for causing you pain. I meant for it to be a clean break, for your own good, and I thought—"

He stopped when I freed one hand to put a finger to his lips. They were cold as ice, and I longed to feel them against my own. "You think too much," I whispered.

We locked eyes again, but this time he broke the contact, his gaze darting to my lips. My heart quivered inside my chest, and my breath came faster. After all these months, he still cared. He still wanted to kiss me. I could have jumped for joy if it were not for the fact that I found our positions on the bed so intriguing.

He inched a little closer, and my finger moved away from his smooth glass lips. My hand grasped at his unruly bronze hair, and I tugged at it playfully. He grinned devilishly, his eyes still watching my mouth. His free hand came to rest at my waist, and before anything registered, I was flat on my back with him hovering over me.

The tension in the air continued to build, and as his lips came crashing down on mine, it cracked.

I moaned when I felt his kiss. This was not the gentle, cautious kiss I remembered. The guidelines that had been set up specifically with the intention of keeping me alive and human were being breached, and quite frankly, I liked it. Our mouths locked together with an intensity that I'd never felt before, and my heart did somersaults.

My hand was still tangled in his hair, and I pulled at it. He groaned, and moved a little to left, kissing my neck in order to let me breathe. I gulped in air, and my insides trembled with the emotion of true reunion. True love. _Destiny_.

His tongue traced a pattern over the pulse point in my neck, and I knew that he was inhaling deeply. _Sampling the wine_… The wet feeling made me shiver, and my loins tightened. I suddenly felt hot and giddy, and I tried to pull his mouth back to mine.

He complied most willingly, and then broke his most elemental rule: his tongue ran over my bottom lip, silently asking for entrance into my mouth. I gasped, mostly from surprise, and my mouth opened slightly. He'd made it quite clear from the beginning of our relationship that the venom in his mouth could possibly do me harm. He'd _never_ permitted open-mouth kisses, and the few that I'd managed to sneak in hadn't lasted long. He always pulled away.

But not today.

He took that opportunity at my gasp to push his tongue against mine. I whimpered. There was nothing like this. Nothing. The passion was overwhelming, the fervor crushing…_crushing in that good sense of being pressed up against every inch of your gorgeous vampire boyfriend's amazingly hot body._

Our legs tangled together, and his hands ran through my hair.

My heart stopped.

Again.

His lips were gone, and I immediately missed the contact. "Breathe, Bella," he commanded softly, as he placed kisses on my collarbone.

I gasped for air, and my heart jumped. "What was that?" I managed to ask, grasping at his shirt, feeling faint.

"That was a 'thank you'," he said in between kisses, his lips against my overheated skin. "And that was a 'hello'. And that was an 'I love you.'"

"I love _you_, Edward" I whispered. "More than anything…"

Without warning, I felt quite tired. Where the feeling had come from, I wasn't sure, but I tried to fight it. I fisted my hand in his shirt, pulling him as close as I could. "Stay with me tonight," I mumbled against his smooth cheek.

Edward chuckled. "I'm not going anywhere, Bella, my love. My angel. Never again."

"_You two are destined for each other."_

"Good…" I whispered, my head sinking into the pillow. The unease and nervousness of the day was finally taking its toll on me, and demanded sleep. Edward settled in next to me, an arm thrown about my waist.

"Sleep, Isabella…and dream of me," the words were so soft that I don't think he meant for me to hear them.

"Always," I answered, regardless.

I drifted off into a deep slumber as the hauntingly familiar melody of my lullaby floated through the night.

* * *

**A/N:** Kinda sweet, right? A little romantic. Slow, but wonderfully necessary. Anyway, things are going to pick up from this point on. If you have any suggestions or critiques, or are just a really nice person, please leave me a review. Thank you so much for reading! The next update should be this weekend.

Oh, by the way, I have a poll up on my profile. Please help me decide on whether I ought to include Edward's POV in this story by voting there, at the top of the page. Also, my website is updated, with a new layout. If you'd care to see some pictures to help visualize this story, the link is on my profile. Have a great rest of the week!


	5. Test

**Vampire Goddess**

A heartbroken Bella suffers a type of amnesia after the cliff-diving incident. But instead of erasing her memories, her illness brings to light a power she never knew she possessed.

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the woman who ruined my life (Stephenie Meyer) by introducing me to the man I can never have (Edward Cullen). _

_There are certain themes in this story that heavily reflect the film Hancock. I don't own that either, sadly enough. _

**A/N: **Many thanks so much to those of you who have read, reviewed, added, and put me on alert. Y'all rock. =)

And I must apologize for the late update…the website was being stupid.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Test**

The next morning, I awoke to the light brush of kisses over my nose. I giggled and opened my eyes to see Edward next to me. We were laying on our sides, our legs intertwined, my arms around his waist.

I snuggled into his chest. "Good morning," I mumbled shyly. He chuckled into my ear, and I reveled in the sound.

He kissed my cheek, and I blushed. It had been such a long time since I'd slept in his arms. I hadn't realized how much more rested I was when he was near.

"Nothing ever changes," he said to me, an impish grin on his face.

"Huh?" I met his eyes, trying to clear my mind of its sleepy cobwebs.

"I'd nearly forgotten how cute you are when you talk in your sleep," he smiled at me.

"Edward, why…why you—" I tried to seem at least a little upset, but found that I was only curious. "What did I say?"

Edward shook his head.

"C'mon, tell me. Please?" I pressed myself closer to his cold body, and our chests touched. Remembering our frenzied kisses of the night before in addition to the cold contact made my nipples harden almost instantly, but I did my best to ignore it.

He felt it, but he didn't say anything. He _never_ said anything. Always the gentleman.

Right?

"Not telling," he gave me a peck on the lips. "But the nurse thought it was so sweet that I stayed with you all night."

I bolted upright. "Oh! The nurses! Charlie—" I'd been so wrapped up in thoughts of Edward that I'd forgotten where I was.

"Don't worry, the nurses only checked on you twice, and both times they were glad to see that someone was with you. Charlie stayed asleep on the couch in the waiting room," Edward soothed me, running a hand up my arm. I felt hot, even though my skin responded with traitorous goose bumps.

"Oh." Shoving the scratchy hospital blanket off of my legs, I stretched languidly before flopping back onto the pillows.

Edward was propped up on one elbow, and he leaned over a little. "Are you ready for today?" he asked, drawing the back of his knuckles across my cheek.

"I guess. What sort of tests are we going to do?" I tried to disguise my apprehension.

"Strength. Sight. Hearing. Speed. Emotion…" he paused, "and…response."

"Response to what?"

He suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable. "Me."

My eyebrows shot up. "Seriously? As in…"

"Yes," he answered, looking away. "Carlisle wants to know how you'd respond physically, seeing as how you're similar to us now."

"But what does my physical response have to do with anything?" I stammered. "Everyone already knows how you…affect me." I blushed a bright red just thinking about it, and he touched my cheek again.

"How I've missed your blush," he murmured, "and this color against your skin…"

"Hey, now, don't change the subject," I objected, although I made no move to swat his hand away.

He sighed, and the hand moved to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Carlisle wants to know if you are now more capable of restraint than you were before."

"Oh." I looked away, not wanting Edward to know that I was just as mortified at the thought as he was. I didn't like the idea of having to test my restraints against Edward's dazzling seductive abilities.

"Don't worry, love. The tests won't be too difficult, I don't think," his tone was assuring as he turned his eyes to me.

"All right," I agreed, pushing the thoughts to the back of my mind. "So how are we going to get Charlie to let you around me again?"

"That's a good question. He's not happy with me at all…" Edward mused, "and I must say that I'm still surprised that you've forgiven me."

I stared at him, and his gaze bore deep into my eyes.

"What have I done to deserve a beauty such as you?" he said in a whisper that I shouldn't have been able to hear. "One so kind and forgiving…"

Before I could retort that I was the one that didn't merit him, a rush of wind blew through the window, and Alice was at my side. "Let's not start that again," she complained. "You've had this argument a million times before. 'I don't deserve you.' 'No, _I_ don't deserve_ you_!'" she mimicked us perfectly, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

Edward glared. "Alice…" he warned her, but she continued before he got any further.

"Charlie is going to wake up in about 40 seconds, so I suggest you get out of here," she said, tossing her head, and running and hand through her perfect spiky black hair.

Edward groaned, and buried his face in the hollow of my neck. "I'll be back after you've eaten," he said against my skin, placing a kiss.

I nodded, and kissed his lips chastely before he leapt out of the bed and perched on the windowsill. Then he jumped out of my sight, and I sighed.

"Oh, Alice," I snuggled deeper into the pillows around me. "I never knew forgiving was so easy…"

"Bella, please don't tell me you're going to be mushy all day," she complained, fetching the duffle bag from the night before. "Besides, what did I tell you about destiny? Just go with it. Don't fight it. Don't argue with it. Forgive and forget, and stop being lovey dovey. You can do that all you want once we figure out what's going on," she reprimanded me.

"But Alice—it's like a dream. I never thought that anything could be so—"

"Enough," she threw some clothes at me. "Put these on. Charlie will burst in here in a minute."

I heaved another sigh. Today was going to be long.

***

I was barely out of the bathroom, and was still running a brush through my hair, when Charlie came running in.

"Bella, I'm so sorry, honey," he rushed straight into his apology. "I should have stayed in here with you last night, but I was so gosh-darn tired that I fell asleep in the waiting room."

I gave his face a second glance; his eyes were red from previous lack of sleep. And he looked…worried. _Why_?

"Oh, no worries, Chief Swan," Alice spoke from the chair by the window. "I stayed with her. She slept all through the night," she assured him with her winning smile.

"Uh…oh, oh, that's good, that's good," he stuttered, most likely shaken by her stunning beauty. I wondered why he was smiling so broadly at her, and it took me a second to remember that Charlie loved Alice. "Thank you so much, Alice. And you can call me Charlie, remember?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well Bells I've got to get to the station. Dr. Cullen says they'll be keeping you here for a little bit, but I'll visit you during my lunch break today, okay?" he stepped closer to me. It was a little awkward. He looked unsure as to whether a hug would be appropriate.

"Okay," I broke the silence, and gave him a quick embrace. It brightened his eyes, and I struggled to remember if we didn't hug a lot, or something. "Thanks Dad."

"Yeah. Take care. See you, Alice," he said as he made to leave.

The second the door was closed, I turned on her. "What was that about? Why is he so worried?"

Alice frowned. "Bella, you jumped off of a cliff. You wouldn't wake up. There is the possibility of amnesia. You chewed out your best friend after he saved your life. And you want to know why he's worried?"

I shrugged. "Just curious."

"You really don't remember much about him, do you?" Alice responded, her voice suddenly monotone.

I paused, setting the brush down on the night stand next to the hospital bed. "No, I don't."

"But you remember me. And Edward. And Carlisle, and Jacob, and everyone else," she began to rattle off names.

"I know, right? Weird," I straightened my white blouse.

"What about your mom?" she asked.

"Renee?" I turned the word over on my tongue. It sounded familiar enough, and I had a mental picture of her in my mind. _Caring, loving, and little-scatterbrained_. But when I tried to conjure an actual memory, I found that I couldn't. "Um…oh, dear."

"Don't you see, Bella?" Alice bounced in her chair. "Your lack of memories is only concerned with the ordinary. You remember everything supernatural."

I sat down to eat the breakfast that had been left for me while I was changing in the bathroom. "I suppose you're right. But it's not as though it's a real _lack _of memories…I still know who they are, it's just that…" I searched for the right words, "I feel as though there's a veil in my head. A curtain that it see-through, but sort of foggy. I remember them, and yet, I don't. It's very—"

"Frustrating? Yes. That's how our kind describes their human memories: vague." Alice stared at me again, and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "And yet you've done nothing that would cause a real change in you. You're still human. It just doesn't make sense!"

I took a bite of toast, ignoring the rest of the food. I wasn't very hungry.

The door opened, and Carlisle, Edward, Jasper, and Emmett strolled in a human speed. I swallowed the bite of food, and leaned up to receive Edward's kiss as he came to my side.

"Well, Bella, I suppose this could be taken as either good news, or bad news," Carlisle gestured to me with the folder he was holding in his hand.

"Hmm?" I asked through another mouthful of toast.

"These are the results of your blood tests. I had them run for any abnormalities, but everything came back normal. That's good, because that means that your blood is in the same condition it's always been. But that's also bad, because now we have absolutely nothing to help us decipher what has changed in you," he explained in his calm voice.

I set the toast down, suddenly realizing how serious this could be. _Crazy mood swings, crazy abilities, and amnesia. Maybe I'm going insane._ A soothing feeling filled the room, and I smiled at Jasper. He must have sensed my sudden unease.

I took a quick sip of orange juice, and pushed the tray away. "Okay, so let's do these tests and figure me out."

"That's the spirit," Jasper said as he sat on the arm of Alice's chair, taking her hand in his. I couldn't help but smile at him again. He was such a sweet guy, and I couldn't help but be at ease around him, no matter what emotion he was projecting at the moment.

Edward took my hand as well, and looked at his father. "What should we start with?"

"Strength," Alice answered. Everyone turned to look at her, and she exhaled loudly. "Just trust me, okay? Start with that one."

Although my curiosity was piqued, I didn't bother to ask why. _Never bet against Alice_.

"Okay, baby sister, let's do this thing," Emmett laughed loudly, and he came to stand by me.

I smirked at his quip about 'baby sister'. He had such a way about him that was charmingly funny and inviting. He made me feel like family, despite his usually relentless teasing.

"Stand up," he said, and I slid off of the bed. I had to tilt my head to look him in the eyes, he was so tall. He flexed his muscles, and I raised an eyebrow. How was I supposed to test my strength against _him_? Emmett, the grizzly-bear boy. Yeah, right. The likeliness of me beating Emmett was just as possible as Alice giving up the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

"Okay," he said. "Do your thing."

I looked at Edward. "What do I do?"

"Try to push him," he suggested. "But be careful. We don't need you to break your arm."

I stared up at Emmett. He looked as excited as a little boy on Christmas morning. "Give me everything you've got, clumsy," he tried to spur me on.

_Clumsy, eh_? Although I knew that it was the truth, I felt a sharp stab of irritation in the back of my mind. "Oh, yeah?" I challenged. Without another thought, I put my small hands against his rock-hard, huge chest, and shoved with all my might. To everyone's surprise, and to my great amusement, he stumbled back.

He gawked at me, as Alice applauded gleefully. "Damn it, Bella, what was that?" he demanded.

My hands shook from a mixture of elation and confusion, and I clasped them behind my back. "I don't know, Emmett!"

Carlisle and Edward exchanged glances, having a silent conversation. "Do it again, Bella," Carlisle prompted.

"Dad!" Emmett began to protest, obviously not liking being bested, but he was silenced with a single look from his father figure.

I swallowed convulsively. The strength whose idea had somewhat intrigued me last night was now bothering me, because I couldn't understand it. Emmett steeled himself, and put on a ferocious look. I felt my pulse speed up, but shoved him again. As my hands came in contact with his body, I tried to analyze it. I felt more resistance this time, but had no trouble in exerting enough force to push him to the ground.

He landed lightly, trying not to make too much sound (for fear of intruding hospital personnel), but it still made enough noise to make me flinch. He glared up at me. "What the fuck?"

"Emmett!" Carlisle's voice was sharp. "Watch your language," he scolded. I shot a look in his direction, and saw that his eyes were bright. "What was going through your mind just now, Bella?"

I bit my bottom lip. "Um…mostly frustration, I guess. I was a little irritated because—well, because I don't understand this. Plus, he called me _clumsy_."

Emmett bounded up. "Well, it's true, isn't it?"

"Yes, but you didn't have to goad me on like that," I responded, crossing my arms.

"I wonder…" Carlisle met Edward's eyes again, and said, "Edward, try to calm her down a little. Then see if she can push you."

Edward didn't look nearly as uneasy as I felt. He came to stand in front of me. "Relax," he crooned, rubbing my tense arms. "Don't worry about this. That's what the tests are for…."

Despite my will, my resolve crumbled before him as his sweet breath floated over me. The rhythmic friction of his smooth hands over my arms was calming, and I slowly felt my irritation melt away.

I smiled up at him, and he grinned crookedly. Leaning down, he whispered in my ear. "Push me…" he ordered, his tone dulcet. _Damn, he makes it sound so illicit_. My insides quivered, and my arms hung limp. _Way to go, Bella. He's trying to help figure out what's wrong with you, and you end up getting turned on_.

"I don't want to," I protested lamely.

He pressed a kiss against my ear, and I closed my eyes. It was ridiculous what a few touches from Edward did to me, even after all those months apart. I felt myself getting a little wet, and figured that they could all probably smell it. _Eh, who gives a crap_? I didn't even care that most of his family was in the room with us. "Try," he insisted.

I raised my arms half-heartedly, and pushed. He didn't budge.

"Excellent," said Carlisle, sitting in the chair by the door. "It seems that your strength is connected to irritation and anger. When calm, you have no power…that's very interesting…I wonder if you could later train yourself to summon at will—ah, well, let's save that for another day."

Edward let go of my arms, and sat us on the edge of the bed. "Should we try sight next?" he asked. Carlisle nodded, and I found a dollar bill in my hand.

"This is sight _and_ speed, Bella," Edward explained. "I want you to try to catch this bill between your thumb and forefinger—"

"Yeah, I know how this works," I interrupted. "We did this in Physics class. I can't do it."

"Then humor us, huh?" Edward laughed, and positioned my right hand, thumb and index finger extended, less than an inch apart. "Now, watch the dollar." He held the green bill right above my hand, and dropped it.

Maybe it was because he'd specifically told me to watch it. I don't know. All I know is that as it fell, there seemed to be a part of my brain that suddenly hit the _slow motion_ button. I felt like Peter Parker in _Spiderman_. Remember the scene where Mary Jane's boyfriend is trying to beat him up…and he can suddenly analyze every movement as though the guy were moving at the speed of molasses in January?

The dollar was moving so slowly—it was the easiest thing in the world to close my fingers and catch it.

Then my brain hit _play_ again, and I glanced up at Edward. His mouth was open in slight shock, and when he saw me looking at him, he snapped it shut.

"Wow," Emmett said from where he had sat down on the floor. Obviously his pride at being pushed by little me was no longer wounded. "What else can you do, Bella?"

I shrugged, still a little amazed with myself. _This is definitely not normal. People get immersed in water every day. People are in hospitals every day. And they don't end up with vampire tendencies_.

"That is quite impressive. How are her emotions?" I realized that Carlisle was speaking to Jasper.

"She's a little hard to figure out right now, Dad," he said hesitantly. "One minute she's going full-blasted lust, and then she switches right to calm concentration. And before that, she was frustrated, as she said. And there is a sense of constant confusion."

Alice sat up straighter in her chair. "Did you hear that, Bella?"

"Yeah," I managed to say, smoothing the dollar bill out over my jean-clad knee.

"All right, so her hearing is still sharp," Carlisle muttered.

"Wait—you guys were whispering?" my voice sounded exasperated, even to my own ears.

Carlisle stood, adjusting his white doctor's coat. "Yes, Bella. The softest vampire whisper we could manage."

"But if I can hear you guys so well when you whisper, then—then why can't I hear the nurses at the nurse's station? Why can't I hear the freeway from here?"

"It seems that your hearing is limited to a radius, love," Edward explained.

"We'll have to look into this further…and the response part of the test can wait." Carlisle rubbed his chin. "Unfortunately, I have other patients I need to see. Stay in bed, Bella. Get some rest."

As he left, Emmett went out behind him, as did Jasper after delivering a kiss to Alice's forehead.

"Bye guys," I said, waving, albeit unenthusiastically. They smiled at me as they left, and then the door closed.

"Ugh," I flopped back on the bed, and pulled a pillow over my head. "This is _awful_."

"Why do you say that?" Alice inquired. "If I woke up one day with super-human powers—oh, wait…I did." She laughed at her own joke, but neither Edward nor I joined in.

"I mean it, Alice," I insisted, my voice muffled by the pillow. "Yeah, this stuff might come in handy, but I don't know how to use it or control it! I don't even know how I got it!"

"You make it sound like a disease," Alice groaned. "Just cheer up, will you? Otherwise you'll make my visions go all wrong."

"She's right, sweetheart," Edward agreed, pulling the pillow aside. I frowned up at him. "Try not to worry too much. Carlisle can figure almost anything out."

I sighed. "Well…at least I'm not having mood-swings today," I conceded a little bit.

"Thank God," Alice muttered under her breath, standing up.

I jumped up, and pointed at her. "Aha! I heard that!"

"Oh, don't read into it too much. Now that you can really hear, you're going to end up listening to a lot of shit that you didn't want to know," she clarified for me. "Remember, there are no secrets in this family."

"Yeah, yeah." I leaned back against Edward's cool chest, and one of his hands came up to caress my hair.

"Well, I need to get going. Rose and I have a _lunch appointment_," she winked at me. "See you later, Bella," she called as she disappeared out of the open window.

Edward's lips brushed the back of my neck, and I restrained a moan. "Love…let's get out of here," he suggested.

I turned in his arms to look him in the eye. "But Carlisle said—"

"I've had almost as much medical training as my father," he said. At the speed of light, he grabbed a sweater out of my duffle bag, and threw it around me. Picking me up, he swung me around so that I was on his back. "And I say that you need some fresh air."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed the space behind his ear. "The meadow?" I asked.

"_Our_ meadow," he answered before leaping out of the window.

* * *

**A/N:** So in case you think I made the dollar bill test up, check this link: www(dot)woodstown(dot)org/ACS/resources/ap/ch2/act1(dot)pdf

Also, I'd like to call your attention to** The Eddies and the Bellies!** Go vote! Voting ends March 4th. Go have a say in the fate of your favorite fics. =)

www(dot)thecatt(dot)net/tw/Vote(dot)aspx

Reviews are always appreciated. I don't have a beta, so if you catch an error, please let me know. Also, there is a poll on my page. Please vote in it as well. Thanks guys!


	6. Run

**Vampire Goddess**

A heartbroken Bella suffers a type of amnesia after the cliff-diving incident. But instead of erasing her memories, her illness brings to light a power she never knew she possessed.

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the woman who ruined my life (Stephenie Meyer) by introducing me to the man I can never have (Edward Cullen). _

_There are certain themes in this story that heavily reflect the film Hancock. I don't own that either, sadly enough. _

**A/N:** Bold sections are a flashback…which is a little smutty. You've been warned. =) Enjoy.

Oh, and I apologize in advance for the length of the chapter...it's a little short. I'll make it up later, though.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Run**

I gripped his neck, and stared boldly ahead, watching the trees fly past us at a breakneck speed. I remember wryly the first days of our relationship, when I would close my eyes tightly to avoid motion sickness. Now, the experience was exhilarating; running so fast that no human could see us was thrilling, and made my heart jump.

We reached our meadow in record time, and the sun seemed to be expecting us. A rare treat in perpetually cloudy Forks, the rays of sunshine found us just seconds after Edward let me slip off of his back.

As I grasped at his hand, to hold the sparkling skin closer, he frowned at the sky, a crease forming in his perfect marble forehead.

"What's wrong?" I asked. _Edward usually loves the sun…the warmth._

"Alice never said that the sun would come out today…no warning. It was supposed to stay cloudy until next week." He glowered at the flaming orb angrily, as though he could frighten it back behind the clouds.

His frustration didn't phase my joy as us finally being together, here in this place that was so vital to the ups and downs of _us_. Pulling his diamond-studded hand to my face, I pressed my lips to the cold flesh. The scent coming off of him was intoxicating, and I wasn't sure how I had ever lived without it.

If I was his _heroin_, he was my _cocaine_. Sweet-smelling, dangerous, and oh-so-addicting.

He heard me inhaling deeply, and turned to me, a smile breaking his frown to pieces. "Who cares?" I whispered, cradling the hand I held to my cheek. His free hand come up to cup my chin and he looked down into my eyes. "Don't worry about Alice…so she missed a day of sun. It's just you and me right now, okay? We have a lot of lost time to make up for." I pressed a kiss you his knuckles.

"Oh, Bella," his face fell again. "I truly am sorry for that. I never meant to cause you such pain. I didn't want us to be apart. I'll never forgive myself—"

"Hey!" I cut him off. "We've been over this. I forgave you already. Don't harp on it. Just—just never leave me again…I couldn't bear it."

He tackled me down to the soft grass in a half-a-second, and leaned over me, bracing himself with his hands on either side of my head. His forehead touched mine, and his eyes were darker than last night. "Never," he whispered, almost to himself. "I'll never leave you. I'll be with you for the rest of your life," he promised.

I bit my tongue, stopping myself from correcting him. _No, you'll be with me for the rest of __**our **__lives, thank you very much._

I didn't want another argument. We'd been over this a thousand times before, and although I usually welcomed the chance to barter for immortality, I resisted the urge this time. I couldn't deal with a mood swing or a fight with him right now. I'd interrupted our reunion the night before with my human need for sleep, and no way was I going to let a debate get in the way of momentary happiness, here, in _our_ meadow.

Edward stooped to kiss my cheek. I shivered happily, and he worked a slow trail to my lips. I pressed myself against him, and while the embrace did not have the freedom and fervency and _frenzy_ of last night's, it was sweet, slow, and still made my insides melt.

As usual, he pulled away sooner than I would have liked, but my heart was so brimming with bliss at being out of the stuffy hospital room, and at being with _him_, that I didn't object.

He rolled onto his back, and I cuddled up next to him. I felt one hand stroking my hair, and saw him rest his free hand on his chest. I watched it shimmer, mesmerized.

We talked for what seemed like hours, with long spaces of comfortable silence in between each conversation, and the sun shining merrily up above. The warmth was a stark contrast to his freezing touch, but it was a feeling I'd missed. Polar opposites, both of which I craved. At one point, he confided that he liked my warmth better than the rays'. "You're like my sun," he told me, and I fought back all images of Jacob and his cheery heat. "No…you're like a star…" he eventually decided. "A bright point of reason in my black existence."

He asked me about school, and I told him what I remembered. He asked me what books I'd been reading, and I related everything. I was secretly glad that he didn't bring up La Push or the cliff-diving, because quite frankly, I didn't want to think about anything related to Jacob. It didn't make much sense, but then, I didn't actually ponder it long enough to ever give it a chance. Besides, the rivalry it would most likely cause between the love of my life and my best fr—er…acquaintance—was not something I wanted to worry about just yet.

I knew when it was noon, because my stomach rumbled right on time. Edward chuckled against my hair, and ran a finger over my nose. "Hungry?"

"Yeah…but let's not leave yet," I pleaded. "Not just yet." I snuggled further into his side.

"All right, we'll stay a little longer. But in a while, we ought to head back; hopefully, before they put out a search warrant," he teased, half serious.

I snorted at the idea, and dismissed it easily, but he stayed on the subject.

"What would Charlie do if he knew I'd stolen you away from your hospital bed?" he mused, and the hand on my hair stilled.

I propped myself up on one elbow to look at his face. "What does it matter? He can't stop me from seeing you. I'm eighteen."

Edward's eyes met mine, and I saw traces of pain in them. "Be patient with him, Bella. He loves you, and is just worried for your safety. He's trying to be a good father."

I pondered this glumly, wishing that I had a clearer recollection of him. But when Edward ran his hands through my brown locks that were spread out over the grass, all hints of sadness disappeared. "You know…" I started, "I've never told you this before—but I _love_ it when you do that to my hair."

He grinned. "Really?"

"Really." I traced the line of his strong square jaw with the tip of my forefinger.

"What else do you like?" he asked, a mischievous glint tinting his features.

"Well…" I tried to narrow the list down in my head so that he wouldn't think I was crazy. My heart started to jump rope at some of the things I thought of that I really wished he _would_ do, but that were on the other side of his cautious lines. Feeling an odd surge of boldness, I looked down at him again, and began with the simple things. "I like it when you kiss my neck."

"Hm. How interesting…" he said, craning his neck gracefully and pressing his lips to my jugular. Any normal girl would have shit in her pants if a vampire was kissing her fragile, nearly-transparent skin right over a throbbing vein, but it only made my heart more excited, and my breath hitch in my lungs. "Tell me more," he murmured against my throat.

I swallowed, trying to get a grasp on my emotions. I like this seductive, kissable Edward. He was so much more enjoyable than the man who was always pushing me away after one chaste kiss. And since Fun Edward only emerged once in a blue moon, it was vital that I take advantage of it.

"Breathe, Bella."

I sucked in a breath to ease my body, and continued with my mental list. "I like it when you trace the scar on my hand."

_Yeah, it's little weird…but kind of erotic. _

He didn't question me, but I knew he was curious as he ran a finger over the crescent mark.

"What else, love?" his voice sounded different now—it was huskier. Ooh…_Husky Edward. Even better than Fun Edward_.

I began to inhale faster. "Um…I _love_ it when you cuddle with me at night…I love that you stay with me even though you have better things to do…I love that you indulge me and my silly human—"

A cold finger to my lips stopped the rush of words, and he spoke quietly. "Bella, your humanness isn't silly. And there is no better way for me to spend my time than with you. How often must I remind you that you are my world? Just one minute away from you makes my still heart ache. You occupy my every thought. It's scary, almost. I never knew love was all-consuming this way…but having known it, I could never go back to that time without you. I tried, and it was pure hell."

I kissed the finger that rested against my lips, and he inhaled sharply under his breath. He'd never said it, but I knew he had a thing about me kissing his hands. Okay, not his hands, really, or his knuckles. His fingers. Maybe it was a piano-players thing. I don't know. But one thing is for sure: he had to suppress the mythical _Frisky Edward_ every time I did that.

Frisky Edward was a side of him that I knew existed…I'd just never seen it. But I knew it was buried deep inside of him. I had seen hints of him a few times during the summer before my eighteenth birthday, but he always suppressed it.

Confession time had opened up a portal inside of me, and I continued with my bold streak the second that his finger moved away. I leaned over him a little bit, the way he always leaned over me. "What do _you_ like, sweetheart?"

Aha! Fun Edward, Husky Edward, the yet-to-be-revealed Frisky Edward, and yes, even _Normal Edward_ absolutely loved pet names. It was something he probably would never admit to, but I knew him too well enough to interpret almost every look that he tried to conceal. Seven months apart had not changed that in the slightest.

His eyes darkened, but I knew he wasn't thirsty. "Oh, Bella, I can't even begin to tell you."

"Try," I mustered up my best seductive voice, and by Jove, it must have worked, cause his jaw flexed in that way that only sexually frustrated men's jaws flex. _Do you know what I mean? Hot damn_._ Good-bye Brad Pitt; hello Edward Cullen._

His breath grew shallow, and his forefinger pressed against my plump bottom lip. "Here…" he said. "When you bite here. In nervousness. Or anxiety. Or in _anything_. You don't know what it does to me."

He thought that was sexy? Huh. I'd always thought it was unattractive.

"And when…when you kiss my hands, my fingers. God, Bella. You have no idea."

I reached for the hand that wasn't tangled in my wavy hair, and kissed it. I could spend all day kissing those graceful fingers. These were the hands of an artist. And a lover.

_Hold the phone…a lover?_

I froze. Edward had never done anything to me with his hands other than hold me, and rub my back. I gasped as strange recollections leapt into my mind, unbidden.

**I arched my back under his ministrations. His long, graceful fingers were stroking my inner thighs. So close from where I wanted him to touch me, and yet so far. It was torture to feel the light pressure, and I groaned in frustration. Finally, he gave into me with a chuckle, and ran a finger up my slick folds. I panted in anticipation of the onslaught of physicality I knew would follow any second. His fingers were already wet with my preparation as he circled my clit and pinched gently. **_**There**_**. Ugh. So good. **

"**More." I demanded, without opening my eyes. He willingly complied, applying rougher pressure to my most sensitive area. **

**Without warning, he plunged two fingers into me and began to pump rhythmically. I clenched my inner muscles around his swiftly moving digits, trying to draw the sensations further into my body. A tight compressing within my belly began the assault of slowly building, anguishing pleasure. **

"**Faster."**

**He did as asked, adding a third finger and shoving in and out of my pussy at a more rapid pace. The pleasure was agonizingly sluggish, but it was building none the less. The brink before orgasm is too painful…but oh, so worth it. He knew that I was close when he curled his fingers inside of me, hitting that **_**one**_** spot. I hissed, and he responded by rubbing my clit with his thumb. My moans grew as the pressure became almost too much to handle.**

"**Come for me," he ordered. **

**I did. **

**A moment later, as I floated down from my orgasm, I felt him hovering over me. I opened my eyes…**

And saw Edward staring at me.

I stayed still. _What the hell was that? It was so clear. Clearer than any fantasy…and if that had ever happened to me in real life, you can be fucking sure I would have remembered it before now._

"Bella," he began cautiously, and I quickly assessed our positions. During my…_what was it, even? A memory?_...episode, I had apparently sat up completely, and he was sitting up right beside me.

"What?" I asked, scared of what he was going to ask. Had I said anything out loud?

"I don't know how to say this—" he hesitated, and then looked up at the sky.

I glanced up with him to see that a rainbow graced the clouds. How it could be there when it hadn't rained, I'm not sure…but it was there.

"Did you just have an…orgasm?" he whispered the last word. I whipped my head around to look at him again. His eyes were now guarded and careful, but he didn't look embarrassed or anything.

I sure as hell was.

My cheeks turned more crimson that ever before, and if my skin could have melted from the intense heat, I'm sure it would have.

I was mortified, but I whispered back. "Yes."

* * *

**A/N:** WTF? Bella's having random flashbacks and orgasms? What kind of cliff hanger is this? If you want to know why this crazy shit is happening to our beloved heroine…please review. Next chapter should be up this weekend, hopefully.


	7. Fight

**Vampire Goddess**

A heartbroken Bella suffers a type of amnesia after the cliff-diving incident. But instead of erasing her memories, her illness brings to light a power she never knew she possessed.

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the woman who ruined my life (Stephenie Meyer) by introducing me to the man I can never have (Edward Cullen). _

_There are certain themes in this story that heavily reflect the film Hancock. I don't own that either, sadly enough. _

**A/N: **The plot thickens. Read on, dears. ;-)

* * *

**Chapter 6: Fight**

"I had heard it talked about so many times. This 'orgasm' thing. Alice praised it like it was a religion." (from Wide Awake, by AngstGoddess003. Link available on my profile.)

* * *

"_I don't know how to say this—" he hesitated, and then looked up at the sky. _

_I glanced up with him to see that a rainbow graced the clouds. How it could be there when it hadn't rained, I'm not sure…but it was there. _

"_Did you just have an…orgasm?" he whispered the last word. I whipped my head around to look at him again. His eyes were now guarded and careful, but he didn't look embarrassed or anything._

_I sure as hell was._

_My cheeks turned more crimson that ever before, and if my skin could have melted from the intense heat, I'm sure it would have. _

_I was mortified, but I whispered back. "Yes."_

Horrified at whatever it was I had just experienced, I tore my gaze away from Edward's. This definitely had to be the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to me.

Lovely. My first orgasm just had to be in front of my vampire boyfriend, who has an insanely good sense of smell. Not to mention that he didn't even give it to me. Yeah, it felt amazing…but doesn't something have to cause it? Trigger it? Like physical stimulation?

"Why bother asking?" I spit out at him, my humiliation making my confusion and frustration that much worse. I saw a shadow from a cloud overhead cross his face, but I didn't bother to contemplate the weather's moody menopause. "You know everything. Can't you smell it?"

He seemed a little surprised by the vehement tone in my voice, but he remained calm.

"Yes, Bella, I can smell it. It's just that—well, I don't understand what—well, what brought it on?" he sounded genuinely curious, and that made my cheeks flame all the more.

Refusing to meet his eyes, I began to mumble, abashed at myself. "It was the oddest thing…I was just thinking—about your hands—and…I honestly don't know what it was. It was like a memory, or something. But I've never done that!" my voice got louder as I defended myself.

Edward raised my chin with a finger. His eyes had turned gentle. "You don't need to feel shame for anything, honey. This is me, remember? Just try to explain what happened."

Stammering profusely, I related the occurrence, ending each sentence with increasingly brighter blushes.

He listened calmly, prompting me when I would occasionally pause. It was just so damn awkward! We'd talked about sex before, but this was different.

This was personal. This was _me_. Having my first orgasm. Without having being touched. In front of my boyfriend who has issues about _real_ kissing.

He was quiet for a little bit after I finished, and I studied his face. In my…dream…I hadn't seen the man's features. And his voice had been unrecognizable in the haze of pleasure. Was it supposed to be Edward?

"You don't think it might have been a vision, do you?" he wondered aloud.

"What…like Alice's visions?" I considered this for a moment. "I don't think so. I'd have no reason to see the future."

Edward nodded thoughtfully, looking over my shoulder into the forest framing the meadow. "We should tell Carlisle."

"No!" I objected, my hand dashing out to grasp his. "Please, it's too embarrassing."

He gripped my hand as hard as he dared. "Bella, we need to. It may have something to do with your vampire-like powers. A side-effect—"

"Please—" I pleaded. "If we have to share it with the family, can we at least put it off? I'll never hear the end of it, and it's just so awful—"

"Isabella."

The use of my full name brought my eyes to his. They were full of an emotion I could not classify, and his hold on me tightened.

"It is very unexplainable, at the moment. Hard to understand. Perhaps it could be seen as a touchy subject worth blushing for. But know this: the look on your face when it happened was anything but awful. It was glorious. You've never looked more stunning than you did at that moment. And the scent of it was delicious. _Mouthwatering._ It took all of my willpower not to…" he paused in his eloquent speech.

He was dazzling me again, and I said breathlessly, "Not to what?"

"To take you. Right here. Right now. That scent called to me a thousand times more than your blood. I felt almost like a teenager again."

My heart momentarily faltered. Edward. Edward Cullen, my only love, wanted me. He wanted me, Bella Swan, with all of my imperfections. He wanted me physically. He was _tempted_ by me. Just the smell of my—_how to put this delicately—_arousal made him feel human.

"Was that too much to say?" he asked, a worried tone coloring his perfect velvet voice. "I'm sorry, I never should have said, or even thought—"

"Stop," I whispered hoarsely. He stilled, except for his hair, which was being tousled by the breeze. "You said that there was nothing to be ashamed of, remember?" I cleared my throat. "Besides…you've dropped a subtle hint here and there, but you've never actually told me…that you want me."

He stared at me, and his thumb started to rub relaxing circles on the back of my hand. "Did you think that I didn't?"

I blushed for the umpteenth time that day. "Well, you never said you did."

"Bella…Bella, you silly, endearing, gorgeous creature!" his smooth, cold hands were suddenly cradling my face as though it were the most precious treasure.

"I've always wanted you," he assured me. His eyes were shining, glowing; simply drenched in affection, adoration, and love.

"I've always had an internal struggle concerning you, love," he continued, despite the fact that my heart was now fluttering wildly. "It's my very nature as a predator to desire your blood. It is base and loathsome, and it's a fact. But surely you must know…we've talked about it before, Bella. I'm still a man. And you—you are so incredibly tempting. And this is multiplied ten-fold because you yourself don't even know it. It makes you that much more enticing. That much more forbidden, because I _do_ desire your body."

He paused again, but I could not speak, so overwhelmed was I by his declaration, and by my own realizations. He continued, a little self-conscious smirk breaking his serious expression. "Didn't I tell you only today that I think about you constantly?"

I nodded, still dumbstruck. My vocal cords refused to work, so he kept on.

"I swear that I can hear your heartbeat, and smell your scent more than a mile away. You are the most important thing to me. My first priority. You haunted my thoughts every second that I was away from you. And just because it's dangerous for us to do anything too physical doesn't mean that I don't want to."

He was finished, but all I could do was clear my throat again. "What are you thinking?" he finally asked, as I'd known he would.

"I was just…" I croaked out. "Um…I guess I never thought that we would have this conversation."

_Liar_, I said to myself. I'd been hoping we would have this talk back before our separation. I had always needed some reassurance that he truly found my body attractive.

"And…" I added, my voice becoming more confident with the knowledge that I was _desired_ by the most heavenly being in existence. "I was thinking that I wish I'd known this a long time ago…and that it makes me really happy. And that I wish it were _you_ that had given me my first one," I threw that last bit in there quickly, knowing that he'd understand exactly what I meant.

With that simple summary of the whirlwind of sentiments blasting through my mind, I launched myself at him, my lips attacking his. He smiled against my mouth, holding back a laugh, and kissed me in return. Before we could get anywhere—because I had a definite feeling that the lack of barriers in the conversation we'd just had would eventually lead to a lack of barriers in our physical relationship—my stomach acted up again, complaining stridently.

He actually laughed then, pulling away. "Lunch time," he said, throwing me onto his back.

***

We hovered at the edge of the hospital parking lot as Edward listened intently to the thoughts emanating from my hospital room on the second floor. He stiffened beneath me, and my new sense of hearing picked up his curse. "Shit," he muttered. A few other words followed, and I was surprised. I'd never heard him use such profanity, and I wondered how often he'd employed bad language in my presence.

His hold on my legs, which were still wrapped around his waist, tightened. "Charlie is looking all over the hospital for you. He's trying to find Carlisle, to tell him you're missing. We'll have to go in through the front door."

"Why?"

"It wouldn't do very well for us to appear in your room when Charlie was just in there two seconds ago."

Without warning, he streaked across the lot, faster than I'd ever felt him run before. The next thing I knew, we were in the stairwell off of the hospital's main entrance. He let me down, and I swayed slightly. "Sorry I had to go so fast," he said, holding me steady until what little sense of balance I had returned to me. "Someone would have seen a sparkle if I'd gone any slower."

I nodded, my thoughts reverting to the weather. It had brightened up again right after our conversation in the meadow.

"Edward…" I began as he started to pull me up the stairs to my room. "You don't suppose…"

"What, love?" he looked at me over his shoulder.

"I think my mood swings may be affecting the w—" I never got a chance to finish, because he stopped cold, turning swiftly towards me. We were about half-way up the steps at this point.

"Bella," his whisper was urgent. "Charlie is about five feet away from the door," he said. "We have to think of a story. Where you were, and why you didn't tell anyone. He shouldn't see me; that will only make it worse."

He started to descend the stairs, silent as a ghost, but I held on to his hand. "Wait, Edward!" I spoke softly, but urgently as well. "Come with me!"

He looked at me incredulously. "Bella, Charlie doesn't want me near you. Do you want to make him angry?"

"I don't care what his reaction is, but he needs to find out sooner or later that we're back together. My memories of him may be hazy, but I do know that we need to tell him this." My voice was hushed, but insistent.

Edward deliberated this, then moved up to the same step that I was perched on. "Very well. This is the story: I came to see you while Carlisle was running some more tests. I asked to talk to you, and you said you wanted to go for a walk, so we snuck out, and we're very sorry for disobeying the doctor's orders. Okay?"

"Yeah."

Striding up the stairs confidently, I pushed the door open to the second floor. I was not fully prepared for the sight that met my eyes.

The normally calm second floor was in disarray. Nurses were rushing to and fro, and Charlie stood in their midst, fuming. He turned to the door when he heard it squeak open, and his eyes burned with an intensity that rivaled Edward's.

"Isabella. Marie. Swan. What the _hell_ do you think you're doing? Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you!" he yelled, aggravation and concern in his tone.

I tried to remember if he ever got angry. I couldn't quite recall, but I was pretty sure that this was not normal behavior for laid-back, quiet Charlie.

"I was having a serious talk with my _boyfriend_," I said, moving forward so that he could see that Edward's and my hands were linked.

I could hear his teeth grinding together as he processed this with silent fury. I took a second to glance around us. The nurses had stopped cold, and were watching us, curious. This would most likely be their gossip for the day.

I looked back at Charlie. His hands had formed fists, and he spit the words out venomously at Edward. "I told you to stay away from her."

"Sir, we just needed to talk. We had to work some things out—"

"I specifically told you never to speak to her again! You weren't here for more than half a year! You don't know what it was like to see her walking around like a zombie! You destroyed her when you left. She jumped off of a cliff—"

"Dad," I interrupted, struggling to keep my new temper in check. "I didn't jump because of Edward," I lied. "The La Push boys told me about cliff-diving and I wanted to try it."

He laughed maniacally, and I instinctively knew that this was very unlike him as well. "Oh, that's great, Bells. Blame the whole thing on the guy who saved you."

The anger was rolling off of him in waves, and I began to absorb it, turning it back on him. My eyes pricked, but they didn't burn as they had during my last outburst, so I didn't worry about them changing color. "What are you talking about?" my voice rose considerably. "I'm not blaming anyone. It was my own fault!"

"Jacob _saved your life_, Bella. You would have drowned! You wouldn't be standing here, right now, having this argument with me!" he emphasized. "He keeps you alive, brings you to the hospital, and you have the _audacity_ to yell at him, accuse him, and the next day you're right back where you started! Holding hands with _that_," he sneered at Edward.

My blood boiled. Livid, I tore my hand away from Edward's, afraid that the strength brought on by my temper might hurt him. "This isn't about him! And he's a person, not a _thing_, Charlie."

Though there were no windows in this wing of the hospital, except for in the patient's rooms, I could feel the air thickening with an approaching storm. I knew that the sky was darkening, although I couldn't see it. The clouds were seething black with rage.

Charlie huffed. "Yeah. Whatever. We both know this has _everything_ to do with him! It's because of him that you're here in the first place. I want you to stay away from him!"

"No!" I screeched, my voice incredibly loud and aberrant. Right on time, thunder rolled across the horizon, an elemental warning. "He's my life, Charlie! I'd rather die than live without him." A sob threatened to tear out of my throat.

"I sensed that," my father scoffed, glancing at Edward, who was still surprisingly calm and collected. "You tried to kill yourself, Bella, just because he wasn't around. That's so unlike you! You were always level-headed and smart, until he came around! He's ruined you!"

"No, Charlie…" my hands were shaking from my ire, and tears threatened to spill onto my cheeks. "He's made me better. I never lived until I met him!"

"See, there you go!" Charlie gestured to me, and then looked at the astounded nurses, as though they were a jury. "Everything _is_ about him, to you. He's all you—"

"Damn straight, Charlie." A second thunder clap interrupted me, but I kept on. "Don't you remember what it was like when you were in love with Renee? True love—"

"Don't talk to me about true love, young lady!" He pointed a shaky finger at me, and I knew I'd hit a nerve. With sudden clarity, I remembered Charlie and Renee's tremulous history, and nearly bit my tongue…but I was on a roll, and the anger was difficult to harness.

"You don't want me to talk about it because you know it's _real_. You remember what it feels like. You still feel it for her, don't you, _Dad_?"

I sensed, rather than saw, Edward's hand hovering over my shoulder, trying to tell me that I'd gone too far, but Charlie spoke before he could.

"That's not the point!" Charlie's voice was unsteady now. "Jacob would be better for you!"

I froze, my temper nearly recoiling in horror. "That's what this is about?" I asked in shock, my voice chilly with a barely suppressed ferocity. "You want me to end up with Jacob Black?"

He obviously hadn't meant to say those words. He'd never wanted the fight to go this far in the first place, but it was too late. He scratched at his brown mustache, not meeting my eyes, although I could still sense that he was angry. "He makes you happy."

I felt like crying. I wanted to throw a tantrum like a two-year-old, but the temper spoke for me.

"No. No, he doesn't. He's just my friend. That's _all._"

Charlie took a step closer, and I took a step back, scared to get too close to him in my present condition. I bumped into Edward, who was standing a little behind me, and his hands came up to rest on my shoulders.

_To restrain me, if need be._

"Okay. Fine. He's your friend. Is this how you treat your friends, Bells?" Charlie put his hands on his hips, his arguments slowly losing steam.

I felt like he'd driven a knife into my gut. My breath caught in my chest, and not even the anger could think of a come-back.

He was right. He was absolutely right. Jacob had been nothing but kind and reassuring to me. And I'd lashed out at him for something that I normally would have only teased him about. He _had_ saved my life. He'd given me and Edward the chance to be reunited. If not for him, I'd be dead. Gone. Lost under the weight of the unforgiving water.

My hands started to shake uncontrollably with the mixture of this insight and the remaining wrath that propelled through my veins.

"Bella?" Edward asked, obviously concerned.

"Don't talk to her, you—" Charlie protested.

"Sir, please, look at her! She needs to lie down," the angel's voice at my ear scooped me up into his arms, and we went in the direction of my room.

Two strange noises berated my ears, and it took me a moment to realize that gasps and cries were issuing from my vocal cords. Heated tears were pouring down my face. As we entered my room, one glace at the window confirmed the second sound.

It was raining. Buckets. Cats and dogs. What have you. It was a hell of a lot of water.

Edward laid me down on the bed, and pulled a blanket over me. I grasped at him, trying to hold him close, and Charlie lingered in the doorway, unsure as how to react to my new corollary.

Edward turned to him momentarily, and Charlie spoke with unease over the sound of my incoherent weeping. "God, Bells, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—well, what I—now, listen…" he fumbled.

"Sir, please, just let me calm her down. Then you and I can have a talk," Edward suggested, ever polite where my father was concerned.

I looked at Charlie through my heavy veil of tears, and saw that his mouth had become a very thin, unhappy line. With a curt nod, he turned and left the room, closing the door.

Edward was immediately lying beside me, his hands on my face, trying to wipe away the signs of my distress. "Don't cry, love. Everything's okay, baby girl," his voice was melodic and comforting, and I mentally told the anger that still loitered on the threshold of my sanity to back off.

"Edward…" my voice was shaky with snuffles. He produced a Kleenex out of somewhere, and proceeded to continue to mop away my tears.

"Shh," he hushed me gently as I curled up against him.

I tried to stop crying. Really, I did; but it was difficult. It helped when he started to hum my lullaby, and eventually the dirge subsided to a few leaky trails and a lamentable hiccup or two.

I felt myself totter on the edge of a fitful sleep. Edward turned me over so that I was facing the window. He spooned up against me, an arm wrapped around my waist. "Sleep. Rest, love. All this can wait."

My eyes started to close against my will, and my sight was shrouded in black. But just seconds before I drifted off into a troubled slumber, my mind began to turn something over, examining it from every angle.

There had been an abrupt storm the first time I'd lost my temper after the accident. Then uncalled for sunshine at the meadow, not to mention a rainbow after my orgasm. Then more clouds during my embarrassment, and then more sunshine.

And now, another storm.

And the heavens had wept as I wept.

There was no doubt about it.

My emotions were affecting the weather.

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**A/N:** Reviews are almost as good as Fun Edward spending the night. *wink*

Oh, and a note to **Siobhan**: I LOVE your reviews. I wish you had an account so that I could answer you. Kudos on guessing correctly about Bella's power over the weather! You get a muffin. With chocolate chips in it. Delivered to your door by a very Husky Edward. =)


	8. Storm

**Vampire Goddess**

A heartbroken Bella suffers a type of amnesia after the cliff-diving incident. But instead of erasing her memories, her illness brings to light a power she never knew she possessed.

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the woman who ruined my life (Stephenie Meyer) by introducing me to the man I can never have (Edward Cullen). _

_There are certain themes in this story that heavily reflect the film Hancock. I don't own that either, sadly enough. _

**A/N:** Thank you so much for all of the great reviews! I get so excited every time I see that my inbox is full, lol.

So I've been contemplating doing a few chapters from Edward's POV. I may include them here, or do a new "outtake" story just with some snippets from Edward.

(Like…what was going through his head when Bella was having her orgasm.) In any case, please vote in the poll on my profile to help me decide. Thanks! On with the story. =)

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**Chapter 7: Storm**

"In our lives there is bound to come some pain, surely as there are storms and falling rain; just believe that the one who holds the storms will bring the sun." –Anonymous

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One of the worst feelings in the world is waking up after having cried yourself to sleep. Despite my lack of certain memories that did not include the supernatural, I definitely remembered this. Prying my eyes open, lashes clumped together…my cheeks were dry, but in that weird kind of sticky-dry-post-salty-tear kind of way.

I was still facing the window when I awoke that evening, and could see that Forks' weather was back to normal. Through the thick layer of clouds, I perceived that it was almost sun-down. I rolled over on my back, a little disoriented since Edward wasn't beside me.

"Good evening, Bella."

I turned over more, and was greeted by the sight of Esme. She was seated in the chair by my hospital bed, and she smiled sweetly at me. I grinned in return, my salt-stained cheeks crinkling a little uncomfortably. "Hi Esme."

I tried to sit up, and she stood quickly to help me. I stretched my legs out under the blanket, and held a hand to my stomach. "What time is it?"

"Nearly six o'clock, dear."

My mouth fell open. "Oh, my goodness. I didn't mean to sleep for so long!"

Esme smoothed my disheveled hair back, tucking stray pieces into place. "It's understandable, Bella. Your body and mind are going through quite a lot right now. Are you hungry?"

"Yes," I admitted. I offered her another smile as she pressed the intercom button that connected to the nurses' station. As she requested that they send up some supper for me, I watched her carefully. Her caramel colored hair fell down her back in graceful waves that my own would never achieve, and she held herself with poise unattainable by any human. Her beauty was different than that of Rosalie or Alice, but she was still striking. And the best part about Esme was not her looks or her mannerisms…but her ability to love.

I thought this over for a moment, slightly troubled by the fact that I remembered and treasured Esme more than my own mother. Was it just the 'amnesia' talking, or did I really feel that way?

She turned back to me, and sat back down in the chair. She looked like she wanted to tell me something, but I spoke up before she did.

"Where is Edward?"

Esme picked a piece of lint off of her beige dress pants. "Having a discussion with your father."

She'd spoken so calmly that I had to repeat the sentence to myself in my mind, just to make sure I'd heard her correctly. "Still? Hasn't it been like 4 or 5 hours since we came back?"

I could feel my heart hammering at the thought of Edward and Charlie talking for this long. What if Charlie still wanted him to stay away from me? What if Edward couldn't convince him otherwise?

Esme touched my forehead, her cool hand banishing my qualms before they got out of hand. "Yes, dear. Carlisle told me all about the little stunt you two pulled. Honestly, Bella, sneaking out of the hospital when your doctor told you to stay put…" she scolded me a little, her motherly nature showing itself to me plainly. "Well, needless to say, it's not the smartest thing the two of you have ever done."

I averted my gaze, hating the fact that I deserved her rebuke. "I know, Esme. You're right. It's just that we really needed to talk. I mean, we were apart—"

"For about seven months. I know, honey. It was hard for everyone, especially for the two of you. But you have to realize that Charlie and Carlisle both have your best interests in mind," she reminded me.

I began to fidget with the blanket, avoiding her gaze. I felt like a second-grader that got caught ditching school. "I realize that, Esme. But…well, if you and Carlisle were ever separated, wouldn't you want a chance to just sit and talk, alone, without anyone listening in or watching?"

She smiled, a reminiscent look coming into her amber eyes. "Yes, I would. You have a point as well, my dear."

I cleared my throat. "Can you hear them from here? Where are they?" I asked, referring to Edward and Charlie again.

"Yes. They're in the waiting room. Charlie was quite upset, and it took Edward a while to calm him down. He's being quite honest with him, actually. Telling him that it was the biggest mistake of his life to leave you, et cetera."

"And what is Charlie saying?"

Esme hesitated before answering. "He still isn't very happy with the entire situation, but he and Edward seem to have come to an agreement. Charlie has consented to let the two of you continue to see each other, on the condition that all contact be limited to school and occasional visits, for the time being. I think he just wants to make sure that Edward eases himself back into your life a little at a time, so that you aren't shell-shocked, or some such nonsense."

I didn't even hear the last sentence, for my brain immediately focused on the word _school_. "Oh, my God…Esme, I've been missing school! How many days has it been?" I started to count backwards and forwards in my head from the day that I'd jumped off of the cliff, but everything seemed scrambled.

Her musical laughter interrupted my thought processes. "Don't fret, Bella. Carlisle and your father have made sure that the school knows you're indisposed for the time being. That sweet girl, Angela, is collecting all of your assignments for you, and is going to help you when you get better."

I stared at her. "Who?"

Esme cocked her head. "Angela Webber. You know…the girl that Edward always says is so kind. He doesn't mind listening to her thoughts because…oh, Bella, you don't remember her either?"

I shook my head. "No. I remember Forks High, though…but…" I racked my brain for any recollections of school-mates. "I don't remember any students!"

My fingers shot to my hair, and tugged at it, as though that would generate a memory of this girl, Angela. Nothing. Complete blank.

Esme gently pulled my hands away from my hair before I yanked any out. "It's all right, Bella. Calm down. It will come back to you, I'm certain."

_You don't sound very certain_.

"Don't panic or anything. Don't rush yourself," she continued, her face calm. Taking a breath, which probably pained her since we were shut up in a little room together, she changed the subject slightly. "Now…I know that your memories of your mother are scant, but she's been calling nonstop since right after you left this morning. We told her that you were undergoing more tests, and to not take any rash actions. She wanted to fly out here immediately, but I managed to prevent that."

"Oh…"

"You should talk to her. Try to placate her a little. Tell her that you tripped and fell off of the cliff," she suggested, passing me the phone.

I gave the innocent phone a malevolent glare. _How am I supposed to placate a woman whom I can barely recall? I don't even know where to start_.

Esme sensed my hesitation, and touched my cheek again. "Just talk to her the way you would to me, were I your mother," she recommended.

I nodded, and punched in the right numbers for Renee's house in Florida, according to the slip of paper that Esme handed me. As the phone rang dolefully, I let my mind wander for a moment.

_Just talk to her the way you would to me, were I your mother_. What would life be like if Esme really were my mom? My mind flashed back to the first night of consciousness after the concussion. I had hoped that someday, Alice would be my sister in addition to being my friend. If I ever joined their coven as a vampire, I had always figured that they would be my companions…but why was I suddenly having these urges for them to become my family?

No. _Marriage is evil._

I sighed, as the phone rang for the fifth time. If Edward were ever to propose wedlock to me, I would just have to say no. They would be my family by proximity only. _**If**__ Edward ever agrees to change you_, my conscious reminded me.

"Hello?" an anxious voice answered after the sixth ring.

"Hey…this is Bella," I said awkwardly. _How would I talk to Esme_?

I glanced at her as the voice spoke, and she smiled reassuringly.

"Bella! Oh, my God, baby! Are you okay? What happened? They wouldn't give me enough information! Oh, sweet Jesus—" Renee was babbling. I analyzed her voice for a moment. It rang a bell. A faint, melodic sound in the very back of my memories. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.

"Mom, it's okay," I spoke calmly. "I'm fine. Just a little shaken up, that's all."

"Oh, sweetie pie, I was so worried! Are you sure you're fine? They were doing tests and stuff right? Oh, honey, what were you thinking, jumping off of a cliff? I want you to come home right now. You're not going to stay with Charlie any more, young lady."

"Mom, Mom, relax," I softened my voice. "I didn't jump. I…tripped. Jake was showing me how the Quileute's cliff dive, and I looked a little too far over the edge." I paused for emphasis. "You know how bad my sense of balance is. Jake jumped in right after and pulled me out. I'm okay, really."

Esme patted my hand as Renee huffed dejectedly. "Well, I don't know about that. Too much drama has been happening to you ever since you moved there. I really think that it would be best for you to come home."

"I _am_ home, Mom. This…" I searched for the right words, but it was hard when I felt as though I barely knew this woman. "This place is right for me. I know I complained about the weather and everything at first, but I really do belong here."

"Those Cullens are back, aren't they?" she asked, a new tone entering her already stressed voice. "You ex's mother was talking to me on the phone, telling me not to come visit you."

"Um…about that. He's…not my ex anymore?" I phrased it as though it were a question.

"What? Bella Swan, you were a mess after he broke up with you!"

"Exactly…I'm worse off without him. We both made a mistake, Mom. He's here to stay. I have it on good authority."

Esme grinned happily.

Renee was sulking. How a person can hear a _sulk_ over the phone, I don't know. But Renee managed it somehow. "All right, all right. But this conversation isn't finished, Bella. We're going to talk it over more when you're feeling better," she urged.

"Okay, Mom. We'll talk," I promised.

As we said our goodbyes, the door to my room creaked ominously, and Charlie came in, his hands shoved deep into his uniform pockets.

_Don't lose your temper. Don't lose your temper. Don't lose your temper._

"I'll just leave you two for a moment, shall I? Pardon me," Esme began to excuse herself politely, making her way towards the door.

Charlie gawked at her inhuman beauty, and stuttered. "Oh, no, Mrs.—Mrs. Cullen. You can stay, ma'am, its f—f—f—fine, really."

Esme nodded cordially. "If you insist, Chief Swan." She went and sat in the other chair, leaving the one closest to the bed empty—a silent suggestion for Charlie to sit there.

_Don't lose your temper. Don't lose your temper. Don't lose your temper._

I tore my gaze away from him, fiddling with the cordless phone in my hands.

"So, um…did you talk to Renee?" he asked, obviously uncomfortable, and avoiding the subject at hand.

"Yes." I limited myself to a succinct answer. No need for another outburst of my ridiculous irritability.

"She, er…wants you to go back to Jacksonville, eh?"

"Yup."

"Well…are you—are you going to go?"

"No."

I chanced a glace up at him, and to my surprise, he had a silly, shy smile plastered all over his face. _Oh, yeah…that's right…Charlie likes having me around. Of course he would hate it if I went back to live with Renee._

"Gee, Bells, that's great news!" he sat down in the chair, leaning his elbows on his knees. I nodded silently, turning the phone over in my hands.

"Oh, er…" he coughed, "Edward…and I…had a talk," he began.

"So I hear."

"Oh," he glanced at Esme, who was pretending to be preoccupied by looking out of the window.

"Well…he explained everything to me. I'm not happy about it, Bells, but he's promised to be good…and I told him that he can keep seeing you, so long as it's not all the time. Seeing as how you're grounded—"

That did it. "Grounded? What for?" I demanded to know, throwing the phone back onto the bedside table.

He lifted his eyes to mine, and he had that interrogative cop look on his face. It reminded me of those guys on television, like on NCIS. "You left the hospital, Bella. It's not so much that you were with _him_, it's that Dr. Cullen told you to get some bed rest. You could have gotten seriously hurt! Besides, sneaking out of the hospital without permission—"

"Okay, fine." I cut him short. "But I can still date Edward, right?"

His face fell. "Unfortunately, yes."

A smile made its way to my lips. "Thank you, Dad."

He looked happy to see me smiling instead of yelling at him for my punishment, but he was still obviously disgruntled about the fact that it was _Edward_ that made me smile.

He grunted in response, and got to his feet. "I've got to get down to the station. No more running around until Dr. Cullen says so." He turned to look at Esme, and his mouth dropped open. "Oh, er…make sure she eats her supper," he instructed her lamely, probably because he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Certainly, Chief."

He rushed out of the room as quickly as he could, and I held back a laugh. As soon as he was gone, I let it out. "My, my, I think you bewildered him, Esme. I hope he makes it back to work in one piece."

Esme just smirked, albeit modestly.

A few moments of idle chatter passed, and finally my supper arrived. Ravenous, I started devouring the chicken pot pie the minute they set it down in front of me. Having missed lunch, I was starving. Esme merely watched me with a mixture of fascination and disgust.

Just as I was finishing, Edward, Alice, Jasper, and Carlisle came in. I greeted them with big smiles.

"Well, you certainly are in a good mood," remarked Edward as he immediately hopped up onto the bed with me. He turned his nose up at the smell of the remaining food. "Although how you can be with _that_ sitting in front of you, I don't know."

"Don't tease me," I said, pushing the tray away from me. "What did you say to Charlie?"

He chuckled. "I'll tell you later. We have more important things to do right now."

"That's right, Bella," said Carlisle, making some marks on my chart. "Now, you've got to promise me that you won't leave the hospital again, no matter what my know-it-all-son with two medical degrees tells you, all right?"

"I promise." I held back a smile. _Two medical degrees indeed_.

"Bella!" Alice started in on me before Carlisle had a chance to continue. "How could you not tell me that you control the weather?"

"So you _were_ hiding something from me!" Edward looked at her, a hint of triumph in his tone. "I was wondering why you were singing _La Marseilles_. Wait, what?" His gaze shot to me as he realized what Alice had just said; his eyes were full of disbelief.

"Bella!"

"What is she talking about?"

"I don't know."

Voices full of incredulity immediately filled the room, but I didn't look away from Edward. Touching his hand tentatively, I spoke. "I was trying to tell you when we were coming up the stairs earlier. It's just something that occurred to me…I wasn't sure if it was for real or not."

He didn't answer, but I could tell by the look on his face that he was trying to get on the same page as Alice and I.

"Bella. Bella!" Alice insisted upon my attention; I shifted my gaze to her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she repeated.

"Why didn't _you_ tell _me_?" I emphasized, giving her a cursory glance. "You're the one that can see the future!"

"But that's just it, Bella." Alice broke away from Jasper's side, and flitted to the end of the bed. "I _couldn't_ see. I had the weather pattern all worked out, and then while Rose and I were in the woods, _**bam**_!" she gestured wildly. "The sun came out of nowhere. I didn't realize that it was you, at first, until I actually looked for it. For you. You were hiding from me."

"This complicates things," murmured Carlisle. "Are you certain, Alice?"

"Yes. Just watch." Alice smiled at me. "Bella, give Edward a kiss."

"Why?" I demanded to know, still not really liking the idea of PDA in front of the rest of the Cullens. My face flushed at the mere thought, especially after what had happened to me at noon.

Alice shook her little spiky black head. "I've already seen it. You're going to give in, so let's just skip the blushing and the resisting, and get down to business."

"'Get down to _business_…'?" I raised an eyebrow.

Alice wiggled both of hers at me. "It's business time."

Before I could even draw another breath to fuel an objection to her choice of words, I felt Edward's fingers under my chin, angling my face towards him. His lips met mine with an urgency that could only be interpreted as a desperate need for proof of my so-called power. Or maybe he just really wanted to kiss me.

As it had earlier that day during the testing, my body responded immediately to Edward, despite my mental unwillingness. A chaste peck in front of the others never bothered me, but this was in no way appropriate. Memories of our morning in the meadow, and what followed, flooded my being, and I threw my arms around his neck. I pressed my body to his as much as I could, which was a little difficult, considering our slightly awkward positions on the old hospital bed.

Alice snickered in the background, but after a moment, all I could hear was the resounding pound of my heart. It was racing, rapid like gunfire. Although Edward was being insistent, he didn't overstep his boundaries too much, which was a little disappointing…especially now that I knew what his mouth actually tasted like. But before I had a chance to try and deepen the kiss, Alice cried out.

"There!" she said. Edward pulled away from me, and everyone looked out of the window.

The orange sun was shoving its way through the evening clouds, which were quickly disappearing. The approaching sunset glowed brightly, and illuminated everyone's skin, except for mine. Jasper immediately stood in front of the door to block it, should anyone intrude and witness their supernatural glitter.

Dazed by the glimmering beauty before me, I pulled further away from Edward to look at him properly.

He was staring out of the window just as the others were, but his face was unreadable.

_Does it bother him that whatever affliction I've acquired is giving me the ability to mess with Alice's forecast?_

"I _told_ you so," Alice gloated, crossing her legs perkily. Everyone turned to me, and on cue, blood flooded my face. I hunched my shoulders, burrowing down further into the scratchy blankets, trying to think about anything but their impenetrable looks.

Alice and Esme appeared somewhat awed and pleased. Jasper and Carlisle were deadly serious, but also curious. And Edward…well, needless to say, Edward still had that stone-faced expression firmly in place.

I finally gave an exasperated sigh. The clouds began to form again, obscuring the sun from view.

"Will somebody please say something?" I asked, looking specifically at Edward. For once, I understood how hard it was for him not to be able to hear my thoughts—I was dying to hear his.

"Bella, I've seen many different kinds of power in my day, and every kind has been exhibited by a vampire. A supernatural creature. I just cannot fathom how a normal human girl, such as yourself, can suddenly acquire speed, strength, and a power over the sun itself…" Carlisle trailed off.

I viewed him carefully. I'd never seen him so confused by anything.

"We've got to figure this out," he finally decided after another moment of awkward silence. "Bella, can you make it storm again? I'd like to get a better look this time."

I looked up to see that Edward was observing me again. "Doesn't she need to be angry for that? Upset in some way?" he questioned softly.

"Well, with her recent mood-swings, that shouldn't be a prob—oh, dear…" Alice interrupted herself as she looked at my near future. "Her mood isn't going to change much until tomorrow. Drat. Jazz, do you think you could…" she raised an eyebrow suggestively.

He shrugged, leaning against the door. "I don't know if I can help. I was able to calm her this morning, but yesterday I didn't have any effect on her mood whatsoever," he admitted.

I sat up a little straighter, just wanting to get it over with. "Let's just try, huh?"

Jasper ran a hand through his blond hair, exchanging glances with Alice, who nodded.

He turned his eyes on me, and without warning, the unbridled irritation and anger I'd felt earlier towards Charlie barreled into my chest full force. I gasped for air, and my eyes burned. Before I could even contemplate their hue, my displeasure took over, and I twisted my body towards Edward's.

"How _dare_ you try to go to Italy!?" I shouted, my voice bordering on a screech.

He appeared to be shocked by my choice of argument, but quickly bristled up to defend himself (in that most impressive way achievable only by vampires), most likely influenced by Jasper's empathy as well.

"Well, I certainly wasn't going to mope around for all eternity if you were dead! I was trying to follow you! Besides, what sort of imbecile throws herself off of a cliff?" he demanded to know.

Out of the corner of my smoldering eye, I saw Esme flinch almost imperceptibly, but I ignored it. "Now you're just contradicting yourself," I accused, shoving him away from me. He nearly tumbled off of the narrow bed, but caught himself gracefully.

"What are you talking about?"

"You said that you didn't have a soul."

"So?" he crossed his arms, returning my glare with equal fervor.

"If you didn't have a soul, then how can you follow me if I'm dead? Your entire philosophy on the afterlife is utterly absurd! If you think you can follow me to wherever it is I'm going—"

"Be—" he tried to interrupt me, but I beat him to it.

"Shut up! If you think you can follow me to wherever it is I'm going, then you must believe that you have a soul, as I do. If we both have souls, then why the hell won't you turn me?" Tears tickled the back of my eyeballs painfully.

He didn't answer, so I continued, my voice growing raspier with emotion. "Why don't you—"

"That's enough," Carlisle intervened. I blasted my fiery gaze upon him, and his eyes widened a little.

_Are my eyes red? Ladies and gents, we have a winner._

"Jasper, that's plenty. Turn it down a little."

I felt the calming waves emanate from Jasper, but just as the last time he'd tried to soothe me in the middle of an episode, the emotions had the opposite of the desired effect.

I noticed that everyone in the room relaxed, with the noticeable exception of me. Thunder crashed outdoors as my ire grew. Although I didn't speak, I was grinding my teeth, and my hands trembled.

Alice gasped, and I looked at her. She had a blank face, from a vision. "Stop, Bella!" she suddenly pleaded. "Someone's going to notice the weather! I didn't realize it would get so out of hand!"

Esme's voice nearly cracked. "Edward, do something!"

He was still nearest to me, but for the first time since I'd known him, he seemed to be at a lost as to what to do. I watched him with my burning scarlet eyes, and he stared back at me, our gazes locked.

As the wind picked up outside, howling agonizingly, I realized that a part of my mind seemed to be free of the overwhelming anger. It was a very small part, granted, but it was still there, and it begged me to listen to Alice.

"Bella—" Edward gave me a strangled-sounding whisper. He almost sounded…_scared_.

I clenched my jaw, the reasonable side of my conscious trying desperately to control the wild, unnatural part of me. My fingers dug into the blankets, and I heard tearing noises. I looked down to see that what had been in my clutches a second ago was now nothing but shredded material.

_Dr. Jekyll…meet Mr. Hyde. _

_

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_**A/N:** Reviews are almost as tasty as Husky Edward rolling out of bed. =)

So I was late posting this chapter because I just wasn't happy with it. Even though it's the longest thus far, it really didn't flow, and I revised it several times…I'm still not satisfied, but it had to do. But hey, now we're going somewhere. Did anyone catch the Flight of the Conchords reference? If you did, let me know. You get a cookie.

**Siobhan: ** Thank you so much for the compliments. I swear, reviews like yours totally make my day! I write for people such as you. A million thanks, hon.


	9. Consult

**Vampire Goddess**

A heartbroken Bella suffers a type of amnesia after the cliff-diving incident. But instead of erasing her memories, her illness brings to light a power she never knew she possessed.

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the woman who ruined my life (Stephenie Meyer) by introducing me to the man I can never have (Edward Cullen). _

_There are certain themes in this story that heavily reflect the film Hancock. I don't own that either, sadly enough. _

**A/N:** "Tithonus" belongs to Alfred Lord Tennyson.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Consult**

The scraps of fabric felt so fragile between my fingers. I rubbed my thumb over the shredded pieces in my hand, feeling each and every fiber.

"Bella."

My eyes went straight to Edward. He stood as still as a statue, his posture frozen in shock. His wariness sparked a reaction in me that shouted 'danger!' I froze too, out of some new instinct. It took the sane part of my mind only a few seconds to realize that the danger was nothing more than _me_. I tried to shake off the stillness, grasping the shredded blanket in my grip until it hurt my hand. I shook my head, trying to clear it of the furious haze of anger that was shrouding my normal human self.

I didn't bother to look at the rest of the family. I didn't really need to. A part of me knew that only a few seconds had passes since Alice's warning, and I knew that they hadn't moved. I wasn't quite sure when I'd pressed that convenient slow motion button, but it was currently in effect.

I tried to remember what I'd read about anger management in Health class back in Phoenix. It was difficult to dredge up a memory from a life I didn't really remember all that well, but I managed somehow. There was something about taking deep breaths and counting to ten. It didn't seem like it would work, but that look on Edward's face prompted me to try it.

_One._

My hands were still shaking, and I was making fists so tight that my nails dug into my palms painfully.

_Two_.

My breaths came hastily and were tremulous.

_Three_.

He was just _standing _there. Not doing anything. So helpful.

_Four_.

My heart was racing as it never had before. I could feel it thumping in my chest, and I sensed each and every blood vessel as they rushed through my veins. It gave me a wondrous awareness of being _alive_, and I would have appreciated it were it not for the foreboding feeling in the air.

_Five_.

There was an unbidden itchy feeling on my scalp. It nearly distracted me from my counting.

_Six._

My breath began to slow. I blinked back tears.

_Seven_.

My head shook almost imperceptibly, willing the itch to disappear

_Eight_.

My heart started to calm down. Edward heard it, and his eyes focused on the visible pulse in my neck.

_Nine_.

The burning in my eyes began to dissipate. I blinked rapidly, hardly believing that the counting and breathing bit was actually working.

_Ten_.

Then four things happened all at once:

The itch stopped.

The Cullens all gave different gasps and sounds of disbelief almost in unison.

My mind hit _play_.

And the anger disappeared as quickly as it had materialized.

I hadn't realized that it would be so simple. A smile slowly permeated my previously irritated features. And to think, I could have avoided those other silly, unexplainable outbursts. The wind slowed outside, and the storm cleared nearly instantly. A feeling of elation nearly broke through my suddenly calm exterior. It was nice to know that I could somehow control this new problem of mine.

"Oh. My. God." Alice punctuated each word. "How did you _do_ that?" she rushed forward, shoving Edward aside. She grabbed my shoulders.

I looked at her small elfin face and shrugged, struggling to keep my newly found composure. "I counted to ten."

She gave an exasperated sigh, and the rest of the family inched forward. "Not your temper, Bella, your _hair_!"

I gasped, immediately envisioning anything and anything that could have gone wrong. With my luck, I probably had snakes for hair, like the mythical Medusa. Or maybe it had turned bright green. _Damn! That was the itch I felt_.

I hesitantly reached for my scalp, but Edward's hand reached it before my own. His cold touch wasn't too chilly, so at least I knew I wasn't bald. "What is it?" I asked, a little scared to find out. Maybe it made me look terrible, whatever it was. Edward shook his head, and ran his hand all the way down my hair.

All the way down to the bed.

Yeah. Because my hair reached the bed now. And it didn't just reach it—it was _on_ the bed. I gasped as my eyes followed his hand. My brown locks were now several inches longer than they had been just a few moments ago. My mane of often untamable frizz had grown from the middle of my back to my hips, and the ends were spread out around me in graceful waves.

Carlisle was the first to compose himself. "All right," he said. "Side affect number one: long hair."

***

I spent the next twenty minutes staring at myself in the bathroom mirror. I kept expecting the beautiful locks to disappear, but they didn't. Esme and Jasper had headed home after the incident, to give Jasper a chance to breathe better. The hospital atmosphere was difficult for him to handle, due to all the humans in their various states of distress, not to mention the temptation of so much blood. And I think I heard him mutter something about my "yo-yo like mood" giving him a headache.

Edward, Alice, and Carlisle had run off to make some phone calls. Apparently Carlisle had a friend in Denali who was a specialist in vampiric qualities emerging in normal humans, and the good doctor had a hunch that this gentleman would know what was going on with me.

I ran a brush through my new hair, loving the feel. The tresses were not only longer than my old hair, but it all felt new and shiny. All hints of frizz were gone, as though I'd just come back from a salon, although it wasn't styled in any manner. I'd always wanted longer hair, and this was like a wish come true. I almost felt like a princess.

"Once more the old mysterious glimmer steals

From thy pure brows, and from thy shoulders pure,

And bosom beating with a heart renewed."

I looked up and my eyes met Edward's in the mirror. Sometime during my musing, he had slipped in behind me, and stealthily snatched the brush from my hand, still faster than my new senses could detect. He grinned at my reflection, and continued reciting the verse as he ran the brush through the shimmering mane.

"Thy cheek begins to redden through the gloom,

Thy sweet eyes brighten slowly close to mine,

Ere yet they blind the stars, and the wild team

Which love thee, yearning for thy yoke, arise,

And shake the darkness from their loosened manes,

And beat the twilight into flakes of a fire."

My face flushed, and I would have lowered my gaze, were it not locked so steadfastly on his expression. I recognized the lines immediately. They were from "Tithonus," by Alfred Lord Tennyson, who was one of my favorite poets. The poem itself was gorgeous and moving, but it sounded a thousand times better coming from Edward's lips.

He stopped brushing my hair, and lowered his mouth to my neck, pressing a kiss to my rapidly escalating pulse. "I love the hair," he said against my skin.

"Yeah?" was all I could manage.

"Yeah," he answered, his arms snaking around my waist. His eyes lowered, and he inhaled deeply. My eyes stayed locked on our reflection in the mirror. I was mesmerized. There was no way that I had the attractiveness or grace of a vampire, but somehow the beautiful hair had made me look a little less plain next to Edward's god-like body.

And then I was being spun, and I no longer faced the mirror. Edward had turned me around, and pulled me flush against him, our chests pressed tightly together. His head buried in my neck, and he murmured under his breath. "It's as though those lines were written for you."

I couldn't answer. He knew my weakness for poetry, and that coupled with _him_ standing here, raining soft kisses on my skin, had rendered me speechless. He pulled back a little bit, with a chuckle, and tipping my chin up, he gave me a kiss.

My hair may have changed, but my body hadn't. It reacted as usual, my pulse climbing erratically, my breath coming short. I threw my arms around his neck, and he buried his hands in my hair, cradling my face to his. He slanted his mouth across mine, and traced my bottom lip with his cold tongue. The mood of the kiss changed instantly.

_Yes_. I opened my mouth to deepen the kiss, despite the fact that I desperately needed to breathe. This being only the second time that he'd ever crossed this particular boundary, I planned on taking full advantage of it. I clutched him closer, glad that he wasn't pulling away, as he could so easily. Our tongues touched, and glided against each other smoothly. I nearly wanted to push my way into his mouth, but I knew that his razor sharp teeth posed a great danger to me; however, I was more than content to keep my tongue in my own domain as long as his was there to carouse along with me.

I moaned at the contact, and he groaned in response. Moaning and groaning: this was definitely the way to go.

Without any warning, his hands slid down from my waist and grasped my buttocks. I gasped into his mouth, and he chuckled lightly in the back of his throat. He pulled away a little to let me breathe, and he buried his nose in my hair. "Damn, Bella…you have such a tight ass."

My heart stopped all together for several seconds before starting up again in ragged bursts. Did Edward just call my butt an _ass_? Edward Cullen said the word 'ass'…in reference to me. And he made it sound hot.

He laughed again, and hoisted me up in one smooth movement onto the bathroom counter, so that he didn't have to bend down, and I didn't have to strain upwards. The edge of my…ass…rested on the cold Formica surface, and my center was flush against Edward's hips. He gave another groan and brought his lips back to mine. As his tongue stroked against mine, the passion grew more and more intense, and I subconsciously gripped him tighter to me, and tried to grind my lower half against his, looking for friction.

A few moments of this left me more breathless than ever, and Edward eventually got back to his old self. His mouth left mine, and he looked a little guilty. "Breathe, love. All you all right?"

I gave a satisfied, lazy smile. "A little more than all right. Why can't we do that all the time?"

His eyes grew a little wary, but he didn't pull completely away from my arms. His groin still pushed against my warmth, and I rotated my hips slightly, testing the waters. He didn't move. "If we did this all the time, we might get carried away. You're so fragile…" his cold finger lined the bridge of my nose in a gesture that was meant to be playful. But the guarded expression didn't vanish.

As my chest cavity regulated my air intake, I grinned. "What was that bit about my _tight ass_, Cullen? You've developed quite the interesting vocabulary over the last few months. Especially considering those expletives you employed in the parking lot today."

A sincere grin finally made its way to his handsome face, and before I knew what was what, his hands were gripping my ass again. "I believe I speak the truth, Swan. I didn't notice any objection on your part in the heat of the moment."

I tried another circular rotation against his loins, and elicited a darker, more lustful look from him. His grip tensed a little, educing a whimper from me before I spoke. "That's because I don't object. I like it. It's different. It's…sexy."

The hungry look intensified, and Edward arched an eyebrow. "Sexy?"

"Yes. Very," I assured him. I felt that I was soaking wet, and I rubbed my center against him again, seeking some more relief. This time, he responded with a grind of his own, and I gasped at the reciprocation.

"You know," he said, "if I push too hard against you, I could crush your hips into dust." His tone was serious, but his eyes gleamed mischievously.

Before I could think of something smart enough to say, a sharp rap sounded on the bathroom door. "Bella, Edward, get out of there before Carlisle comes back!" Alice's voice warned us. Edward groaned in protest, but immediately scooped me off of the counter, and set me down.

I shot a quick glance at the mirror to see if I looked presentable. My lips were pink and swollen, and my cheeks were tinged with a blush. My hair was a little mused, but not too terribly. Edward noticed my quick perusal of my reflection, and with a nearly silent chuckle, he reproduced the brush. He gave my hair a few swift strokes, and then opened the door.

Only Alice was in the room, balanced neatly on the edge of my bed. "I know what's wrong," she announced in a sing-song voice.

I paused in mid-step, Edward just behind me. "What? What is it?" my tone was colored with both anxiety and disbelief.

"I'm afraid I can't disclose that information," she responded. "I'd hate to rob Carlisle the privilege of telling you himself."

Right then, Carlisle rushed in, just barely faster than human speed. He closed the door behind him, ensuring privacy. "Bella, please sit down."

Alice waved me over to the bed, and I perched on it next to her. Edward remained standing, his arms crossed, a solemn, but somewhat exasperated look in place. It was rather obvious that he was trying to read his father-figure's thoughts, but that Carlisle was blocking him rather aptly.

Carlisle stepped up next to Edward, and crossed his arms as well. If the mood of the room weren't so sober, I would have laughed at their similarities. "Bella, you've heard us speak about the Denali clan, I assume."

I nodded. "Yes, many times."

"Mmm. Well, one of their members is a dear friend of ours from Spain, Eleazar. He used to work for the Volturi many years ago, because he has a spectacular gift. He can usually deduce what a human's abilities are, and what sort of gift they will have if they are changed."

A smile crept onto his face, probably at a memory. "At any rate," he continued, "I called him just now for a consult. I related all of your symptoms to him, to see if any of it sounded familiar to him. He's seen so much over the years…and he told me about a few people he encountered before his Volturi days. He's very old, you see…was changed back in the first century, if I'm not mistaken."

Edward sighed in frustration, and Carlisle glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Patience," he said before turning back to me. "Eleazar told me about a group of people, more beautiful than the humans around them. The women had long, lustrous hair, and were endowed with inhuman powers. The men were stronger than any human, and almost as beautiful as the females. But none of them were vampires."

Alice started to jump a little, making the bed shake. "Here it comes!" she whispered excitedly.

"What were they?" I asked, nearly dreading the unknown.

Carlisle bit his lip, in a mixture of excitement and uncertainty, and I'd never seen him look more human.

_Damn it, just tell me!_

"They were gods."

Alice was grinning from ear to ear, but Edward and I both had blank looks on our faces.

I thought that maybe I'd misunderstood him…maybe I just heard it wrong. "I'm sorry, what?"

"They were gods and goddesses, Bella," he reiterated.

I exchanged glances with Edward, who looked as shocked as I felt.

"And…Eleazar thinks…that Bella is one?" Edward asked, his eyes on my face.

"Yes," Carlisle nodded, watching me closely. I wanted to answer him, but I honestly couldn't think of anything to say.

Me? A goddess? _Yeah. Sure. And my mother is the queen of Sheba._

Alice touched my arm lightly. "Bella, isn't that cool? You're a goddess!"

I swallowed with some difficulty. "Is that certain?" I asked Carlisle, ignoring Alice.

"Well, not one hundred percent. It's his assumption, based on his previous observations of creatures with your kind of abilities. I've asked him and his mate, Carmen, to pay us a visit, in the hopes that he might confirm this."

My mouth dropped open a little as I considered the implications of what he was saying. _If he wants Eleazar to confirm this, then he must hold some truth in it_. Just as I was trying to respond with something remotely intelligent, something flashed before my eyes, submerging me in that state similar to my episode in the meadow earlier.

It almost felt as though everything I was seeing was déjà vu. It was like a scene from a movie, or the memory of a dream from my childhood. It all felt very realistic, but still vague somehow. Some of it felt strange, but I knew somehow that it had all happened to me before. This was not a dream…it was a flashback.

As I came out of it, I found myself flat on my back, my eyes staring widely at Edward's concerned face, as he hovered over me. Before he could speak, Alice burst in. "What did you see?"

I hesitated, taking a deep breath.

"What did you see?" she repeated.

I bit my lip, and watched Edward's expression carefully. "You're going to think I'm crazy…but I think Eleazar is right."

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews. You guys are too kind. =) There should be two more updates this week, depending on circumstances. Thank you for your patience regarding my late posting of this particular chapter.

Please remember to vote in the poll on my profile page. Also, there is a picture of Bella's new hair on my website...the link is on my page as well.


	10. Wings

**Vampire Goddess**

A heartbroken Bella suffers a type of amnesia after the cliff-diving incident. But instead of erasing her memories, her illness brings to light a power she never knew she possessed.

* * *

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the woman who ruined my life (Stephenie Meyer) by introducing me to the man I can never have (Edward Cullen). _

_There are certain themes in this story that heavily reflect the film Hancock. I don't own that either, sadly enough. _

**A/N:** Thank you so much for the response to the last chapter. I love you guys. =) I'm so glad that many of you are truly enjoying my efforts. Your reviews and encouragement mean so much to me. Okay…enough of my rambling. On with the story. Oh, and any bold type denotes a flashback.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Wings**

Alice's voice echoed in my head as I lost myself in Edward's deep, dark eyes.

"_What did you see?"_

I sensed Carlisle's presence, although he wasn't in my line of vision. I struggled to break my locked gaze with Edward, and looked at Alice. She sat next to me on the bed, and would have been leaning over me, were it not for Edward's protective posture. I could see by both hers and Edward's expressions that they were having trouble with what I had just said.

I rarely saw Edward put any effort into his words; everything just came perfectly and naturally to him. He never had to exert himself, except on the rarest of occasions, when he was caught terribly off-guard. Even then, I could only discern his hesitation and read him because I knew him so well. I doubted that any other human—or goddess, even—would be able to know that he was debating internally at this moment, trying to figure out the right thing to say, and attempting to understand the diagnosis (if you could call it that) that Eleazar and Carlisle had come to.

He measured out each sentence carefully, almost as though every word were valuable. "I don't think you're crazy, Bella. But…what makes you think Eleazar is correct in this assumption?"

I hesitated, then, not quite sure as how to describe my sudden onslaught of memories. Alice gave an exasperated sigh. "Bella, please, you're driving me insane! I may be able to see the future, but I can't see into your mind."

I bit my lip, and fingered a lock of my hair down by my hip. "Please help me sit up," I said at last, reaching for Edward's arm. I could have sat up myself, but I was buying myself some time. Edward muttered something that sounded remotely like an "of course" and pulled me up, as I tried to think of the best way to put my mental pictures into words.

Feeling the need to pace, I pushed myself off of the bed, and Edward sat down next to Alice, a worried look on his handsome visage. I gave Carlisle a hesitant smile, mentally willing him to be patient with me as well. I needn't have worried, however. Carlisle was always kind to me.

I began to walk around the room, pulling at random strands of my hair. It was much stronger than I remembered. "Okay," I began, "this is why I think Eleazar's onto something: I saw things in my head just now. They were like snapshots from a picture album—no, no, they were more like clips from a movie trailer. Only I knew them! I remembered them. I think that they were flashbacks from my…former life? I don't know exactly what they were, or what they were of. But so much makes sense now."

I paused, looking up from the floor to see that all three vampires were watching me with rapt attention, with no hint of sarcasm or disbelief. Slightly encouraged by this, I continued. "It's almost as though the memories of my life as a child with Renee, and anything and everything that doesn't have to do with the supernatural have been replaced by recollections of something else.

"First, I saw myself. Except that I wasn't watching myself, I was in my own body. It was pretty weird, actually…but anyway, there were flashes of a childhood, long ago. I was with others like me. And we were dressed in the oddest fashions…"

I trailed off a little, distracted by the picture I was trying to conjure for my audience. Unable to think of anything else to say on that point, I went on, pacing in pointless patterns around the room. "But then I was submerged in a world that was a like a dream someone would have after reading too many Greek myths. I saw everyone I've ever read about in my humanity. But the difference was that I actually knew each and every one of them. Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Artemis, Eros…" I paused yet again, making some eye contact with the three of them. They had all turned to stone statues, unblinking, drinking in my information.

"…Hermes, Morpheus…you name it—"

"Hades?" the sudden interruption came from Alice. I glanced at her, unsure as to why she was asking this.

"Yes. Him, too."

I watched her for a second, as her eyes shifted quickly to Edward, who was still frozen, his face devoid of emotion.

She didn't say anymore, so I tried to pick up where I'd left off. "Um…so yeah, there were just all of these flashbacks, involving me and all of these Greek gods and goddesses. It sounds a little strange to say it out loud now, but just a moment ago it made all the sense in the world. I fit right in with all of them. I had on those draping robes, and we did so much, experienced everything…"

I lost myself for a split second, recalling what I had just seen…

"**Athena…" I ventured, knocking respectfully on the column that graced the entrance to her chambers on the mountain. **

**She glanced up from perusing a scroll. "My dearest," she said. "Do enter."**

**I gave her a grateful smile. Although I was technically older than her, she was the wisest of all of us. "Athena…" I began again, quite hesitant to breach the subject that was so present in the forefront of my mind.**

**She rose from her chair, her rose-colored gown trailing on the cold stone floor beneath our feet. A worried look crossed her normally tranquil features, and she smoothed back a strand of her dark auburn hair. "What is it that troubles you, sister of my soul?"**

**Her kind words let loose the flood of tears that had been lingering behind my eyes, and I broke down. Her strong arms caught me as I sunk to the floor in despair. "Ares…" was my whispered answer.**

"**Ah." Athena cradled my shaking form to her as we settled uncomfortably onto the stones. My weeping continued, and she stroked my hair with a patience that only the Goddess of Wisdom could have. When my tremors subsided into slight trembling, and my sobs turned to random hiccups, she spoke again. "I should have guessed as much from the rumors circulating Olympus. Aphrodite will have your head."**

"**Please…" I managed to say, "Tell me what to do. I…I'm so lost, Athena. It was just a mistake!"**

**She drew back a little bit, and tilted my face up so that she could see me better. "How could you have made such an error in judgment? Granted, Aphrodite herself is foolish enough to have Ares for her lover when she is already wed, but for you to, in turn, fall into transgression with him is rather unforgivable. You know how our sister holds grudges."**

**I shuddered, thinking of the Goddess of Love's wrathful and nearly uncontrollable temper. Although she was known for her amorous nature, Aphrodite's anger was not something that anyone wanted to face. **

**Athena heaved a sigh as she pondered my dilemma. As one of the oldest goddesses, I had a place among the others. I was well-loved and respected, and had a reputation to maintain. A daughter of those who had been dubbed the Titans, I had a measure of power that was unparalleled. And although our kind was prone to indulging in pleasures of the flesh, even when the object of one's affections was a mother, father, sister, or brother, that did not mean that Aphrodite would not take offense to my affair with her lover, the God of War. **

**It was an unspoken rule that those who shared her bed were not to grace anyone else's until she tired of them. I knew this. Ares knew this. And yet we were thoughtless enough to give into a momentary passion. There had been curiosity, and lust, but no love. But I would most surely be punished.**

**Aphrodite was known to have cast terrible curses upon those who displeased her. And I highly doubted that she would care about my standing as her superior. **

**In a swift motion, Athena pulled us both us so that we were standing. My head reeled with the sudden movement, but I recovered instantly. "You must apologize to her," Athena concluded. "There is no law to protect you, which is rather a shame in your circumstance. You have never done anything to anger any of us in the past, but you know full well that if you had been with any other man but Ares, you would not have to deal with this silly vengeance business."**

**I nodded, recognizing my folly. I could have slept with any other god, even Zeus, and not have had to be frightened about being punished. Hera, the Queen of Gods, and Zeus' some-time faithful wife, would have been furious, it's true; but she never would have dared to slight me. Aphrodite, on the other hand, was very unpredictable. I could only hope that I wouldn't be turned into a newt, or some such nonsense. **

The fears of being pursued by the implacable Aphrodite faded as I came out of the reminiscence. I found myself standing by the window, staring out onto the parking lot. "I still don't understand it all," I confessed, gripping the windowsill, unsure of my own feelings at this revelation. "But I wouldn't be surprised if Eleazar is absolutely right. And if he isn't…" my breath shuddered as I inhaled, "then I'm officially insane."

Edward appeared beside me, his hand at the small of my back. "You're not insane," he murmured in my ear. "We'll figure this out. Eleazar will explain everything."

I turned to face him, the confusion in my mind mingling strangely with the certainty in my heart. "I hope so."

"Well, I _know_ so," said Alice, hopping off of the bed, and shooting to the door. "I'm going to go meet Jazz, we—" she stopped suddenly, gasping as her eyes widened. "Bella!" she turned to me, a scared look dominating her features. She shot a glance at her brother.

Edward stiffened visibly. "Are you sure?" his voice was low and harsh.

"Yes. Dammit, Bella, why does your future keep disappearing? I can't see you anymore!" she stomped her foot in irritation.

I shrugged. "I don't know…what exactly do you mean?"

Edward answered for her. "As you know, she keeps constant tabs on all of us. But three times, she has been unable to see you. You just…disappear."

"Yes," Alice nodded. "It's like everything is black where you ought to be."

My interest piqued. "Which three times, Alice?"

"The first was when you j—fell…off of the cliff. I couldn't see you, so I thought you were dead. And then again, you disappeared not long after your first temper tantrum. That was when you and Edward were reunited. The third time was just now."

My gaze wandered back to the parking lot, and the forest that surrounded it. A movement caught my eye, and my new senses knew exactly what it was. "Alice. Can you see _everything_?"

Carlisle took a few steps forward, Alice by his side. "What do you mean?" she asked.

I sounded my theory out in my head first, just to make sure I didn't sound stupid. "Can you see all beings? Werewolves included?"

"Werewolves! Of course," Edward gripped my arm. "Jacob Black pulled you from the water. He came to see you after you awakened. And now…" he looked in the direction I was facing, and snarled under his breath. "The dog is back."

I sighed. "I should go talk to him."

"Absolutely not." Edward's voice was firm, and a little outraged.

I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, trying to keep my temper in check. "Why not? He's hurting, Edward. I was cruel to him when he was here before. I ought to apologize."

"No, Bella. Werewolves are dangerous, especially young ones like Black. Unpredictable, with bad tempers that can result in—"

"A little like me, at present; wouldn't you agree?" I countered.

Alice snickered, and Carlisle smiled, but Edward's face remained a mask of thinly veiled anger. "Don't worry," I assured him, leaning into his arm a little, so that he was half-embracing me. "I know how to deal with werewolves. They're my friends too, you know. They've been protecting me."

"I don't care if they're your friends or not; they're hazardous, unruly creatures."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, and having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't hazardous. Okay. Edward, I can take care of myself. He hasn't hurt me yet, and I don't think he ever will. Just let me talk to him for five minutes. You can stay in the parking lot, close by, if it will make you feel better."

He labored with this for a moment before curtly nodding, and sweeping me up into his arms. In a flash, we were out of the window, and under the cover of darkness. He deposited me at the forest's edge a second later, and with a swift kiss to my forehead, he vanished into the night.

Even though my eyesight was much improved, I still couldn't tell where he'd gone, nor where Jake was. So I settled for moving only a few feet into the fringe, and whispering. "Jake? Jacob Black, I know you're here."

He appeared like a specter before me, his face haggard with worry and lack of sleep. I jumped at his sudden appearance, but didn't say anything. He stared at me with hollow eyes, his gaze going straight to my long, lustrous hair. "What the hell?" was his only greeting.

I swept some locks off my shoulder, ignoring his rude gaping. "Jake, listen; I'm sorry for what I said yesterday…I truly am. I'm so very glad that you were there. You saved my life, and for that I'm eternally grate—"

"Then why did you say those things, Bells?" he asked, crossing his arms unhappily over his bare chest. He took a step forward. "What's going on? Why are those blood-suckers here? You reek of them." His nose even twitched as he said it.

I hesitated, unsure as how to answer him. _Hi, Jake. Sorry for yelling. But you see, I have this temper issue, because I'm actually an ancient goddess that can control the weather._

"Um…well, you know those crazy storms that have been coming and going?"

"What about them?"

"You see…I did that…" I tore my gaze away, looking into the woods behind him. "I seem to have developed some powers after the accident. I don't really understand it, but Carlisle has an old friend with some theories—"

"_Carlisle_…hmph," Jake scoffed. "Dear Dr. Cullen and his little family of cold freaks. Honestly, Bella, how can you stand to be around those creatures, knowing what they are?"

I tilted my head. "You needn't be so cruel, Jake. They're good people—"

"They aren't people, Bella, they're bloodthirsty predators! Have you forgotten that it's one of _their kind_ who is chasing you? Hunting you down?"

Somewhere in the darkness, I picked up Edward's growl, but I chose to ignore it. I could explain Victoria later.

"No, I haven't forgotten…but you have to understand—"

"And what do you mean that _you_ caused those storms?"

_There you go. Now you're on track a little_.

"I did, Jacob. The weather seems to be affected by my mood swings."

To my horror, he began to laugh. The forest echoed with his loud guffaws, and I felt the angry demon inside start to flare up. "You, Bells? Control the weather?"

My temper started to brew. "Why is that so crazy, huh?" I started to defend myself. "If you can be a werewolf, and the Cullens can be vampires, who's to say that I couldn't be something, too?"

His laughter subsided as he felt the seriousness and anger emanating from me. His eyebrows bunched together as he realized that I was absolutely sincere. "Oh, come on…you really believe that?"

"Look, Jake, I can't explain it just yet, and I know that it sounds a little weird, but…God-damn it, it's just true, okay?" I clenched my fists.

_Count to ten again, you idiot!_

I didn't listen to myself, though, intent as I was on finishing this conversation in my favor. "And the only reason I yelled at you is because I've been—"

I stopped abruptly, shocked by the throbbing that ran across my back without warning. "Bella, are you okay?" Jake asked, the argument momentarily forgotten.

My hands shook, and I looked down at them. The anger was quickly receding, giving way to a new sensation: pain. The very bones of my shoulders seemed to be moving under my skin, and I yelled from the force of it.

I sensed Edward at the very edge of my awareness, while Jacob faded from view. He was still there, but all I could feel was Edward's worry and all I could see was the dark forest floor beneath me as I fell to my knees, gasping for air.

My shoulder blades ruptured and quivered, and tears poured down my face. _What's happening to me?_

I heard the buzz of voices around me as I grasped at the soggy dirt, struggling to hold onto something, anything. Edward. Jacob. They were shouting angrily. As the pain soldiered on, tearing my muscles apart, I felt Jacob's presence transform into the russet wolf, and run off.

Then Edward's cold hands were on my face, and I welcomed the touch. My back was burning furiously, but I couldn't find the words to tell him so.

And as quickly as it had come, the hurt dissipated just as a rush of something soft emerged from my back, exploding in a white commotion. I collapsed forward into Edward's arms, and my eyes started to close as the darkness crowded even further in. The forest floor was gone, but I caught sight of something floating on the breeze before I gave into unconsciousness.

A solitary white feather.

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**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know it sort of confuses a few things while bringing others to light, but trust me, it's very vital to the story. I had a lot of fun writing it. Please let me know what you thought! =)

Oh, and **Siobhan:** you get a box of virtual éclairs today. You should totally get an account so that I can answer your reviews.

Don't forget to vote in the poll on my profile! This should be updated again soon. Until then, please read my other Twilight fic, Angel, or check out my favorites.

P.S. Who caught the Monty Python reference? Also, a picture of Bella with her new wings is on my website. Enjoy. =P


	11. Goddess

**Vampire Goddess**

A heartbroken Bella suffers a type of amnesia after the cliff-diving incident. But instead of erasing her memories, her illness brings to light a power she never knew she possessed.

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the woman who ruined my life (Stephenie Meyer) by introducing me to the man I can never have (Edward Cullen). _

_There are certain themes in this story that heavily reflect the film Hancock. I don't own that either, sadly enough. _

**A/N: **As always, you guys are too kind with reviews. Thank you so much for your enthusiasm regarding my little story.

**Please note that this chapter contains a smutty scene. If that's not your thing, then I suggest skipping this…or at the very least, don't read it in public. =) **

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**Chapter 10: Goddess**

As I slept, my dreams told me that it was the most natural thing in the world for me to have sprouted wings. The more human and levelheaded side of myself argued for quite some time, but to no avail. I knew that when I awoke, I would be momentarily confused…but here in the safety of my slumbering mind, everything made sense.

If I could have stayed asleep, I would have. But cold hands touched me and soothed me, and sweet voices spoke to me in hushed whispers.

Edward.

He begged me not to cry anymore.

_Was I crying? Weird._

He told me he loved me.

_Yeah…I love you, too._

He cursed Jake for bringing this upon me, whatever it was.

_No, no, no! It wasn't Jacob. This is how it's supposed to be. This is my destiny. _

After an eternity of struggle, I finally opened my eyes. The room should have been pitch-black, as it was still night; but being in a hospital and all that, low lights illuminated the space. I shifted a little, wondering about the state of my back, when I caught sight of Edward.

He had been kneeling by the bed…_praying?_

"Oh, Bella," his voice cracked, and I was enveloped in his arms in an instant. His hands collided with the protrusions on my back, and he drew back slightly, a scared look in his eyes.

I swallowed uncomfortably, a little unsure as to what was going on. It wasn't everyday that a police chief's daughter grew a pair. Of wings, I mean.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, and I realized that he sounded like a scared little boy.

_Oh my goodness…he's seen a lot in his century of life, but nothing like this._

I pushed myself up, sitting straight. He took a step back, his hands balled into fists at his side. I took a quick glance around the room to find that we were alone, and that the door was locked. I still hadn't spoken, and he gave an impatient sigh. "Bella, please, love, tell me what you're thinking. Are you well? Please, talk to me."

I met his eyes, and noted that they were far darker than I'd seen them in quite some time. And yet, they'd been a bright golden not two days ago. They were also swarming with ten different emotions, the most prominent of which were uncertainty, amazement, and…lust.

Edward liked the wings, just as he loved the hair.

I concealed a smirk before willing myself to give my mind over to the mysterious creature inside of me, who knew what to do with these unnatural happenings.

"I'm okay," I said, trying to remain calm as I swung my legs over the side of the bed. Feathers rustled uncomfortably behind me, and I made mental note never to sleep on my back while the wings were present again. As I slid off of the bed, Edward jumped in front of me.

"That's it? You're just _okay_?" he stressed, looking a bit shocked. "Do you not remember what took place just a half an hour ago? Isabella Swan, you just developed wings. _Wings_. People don't just sprout feathers from the middle of their backs!" he sounded quite exasperated, which was rather cute, actually. I might have found more amusement in it, were it not for the fact that I knew him to be genuinely concerned.

Placing my warm hands on his face, I smiled with assurance. "Yes, I'm okay. Really, Edward, a part of me knew that this would happen…the timing was merely unfortunate, and a little unexpected. Come here."

I walked quickly to the restroom, drawing him in after me. Together, we looked at our reflections in the large mirror for the second time that day.

My hair was tousled, but not unseemly. Alice would have called it sex hair, or something like that. I noticed quickly that Edward must have changed my shirt, because I no longer wore what I'd put on that morning. Instead, I was clad in a light blue top which I'd never seen before, and I knew that he had to have cut slits in the back to account for the wings. _Ah…I must have torn my shirt in the woods when they came_…_wait a second: Edward changed my shirt? Hm. I wonder how he liked that._ I grinned from ear to ear, remembering the bra I had on.

It was a creamy white demi, with bursts of blue embroidery all over it. He would _love_ it.

Getting back into the moment, I addressed the issue at hand, and looked at the rest of me. White snow-like wings had sprung from my shoulder blades, and were arched like an angel's. They were higher than my head by about a foot and draped down to my feet gracefully. I instinctively knew that if I spread them, they would have a total span of about twelve feet from tip to tip. I also knew, thanks to the little goddess in my brain, that I didn't have to have them out all the time.

"Watch," I whispered, looking at Edward's eyes in the mirror. He was staring at me with a hungry intensity which quickly turned to curiosity.

Concentrating very hard, I took a deep breath, and mentally bid the wings to disappear. And with a burst of feathers, they did.

With the fair down falling around us, Edward's jaw dropped down, and he grabbed my arms to hold me in place. His head went vanished behind me, and I could no longer see his reflection in the mirror as he examined my back. A solitary finger traced my shoulder blade through the cut that he had made in the blouse, sending shivers down my spine. "How did you _do _that?" he questioned, searching for traces of the wings.

I paused yet again. "I'm not really sure. I just…knew how, I guess."

His eyes appeared over my shoulder, and he rested his chin there, his arms coming around my waist. I leaned back against him as he said, "Don't you ever wish we could just be normal? Both of us regular humans with no hidden feathers or bloodlust?"

A wry smile touched my lips. "But then life wouldn't be very entertaining, would it?"

"I suppose you have a point, my love," he sullenly agreed. He kissed my neck, which seemed to cheer him up quite a lot, and then chuckled. "I must admit, however, that the wings are very sexy."

"I thought you'd say that," I conceded, smiling again. His eyes met mine, and for a second I thought we were going to pick up where we'd left off earlier in the evening. But to my great dissatisfaction, he pulled away from me, and started to lead me out of the bathroom.

"We should probably talk," he started, pulling me onto the bed with him, where we curled up together.

I nestled into his form, and heaved a sigh, my eyes wandering back to the locked door. "What about the nurses?"

He followed my gaze. "As Carlisle's special patient, who is merely here for a little bit of observation, they have orders not to disturb you unless you press the button for them."

"I see. So are you ever going to tell me what you and Charlie talked about? I'm grounded, you know."

Edward pushed me away from him slightly so that he could look me in the eye. His face was incredulous. "Bella, how can you ask me about your father at a time like this? Why didn't you ever saying anything about Victoria stalking you?"

"Because, Edward, you've only been back for, what, two days? And then all of this crazy stuff started happening, and I just forgot, okay?" I defended myself, quite proud that I hadn't lost my temper yet.

"How could you forget someone like _Victoria_? She wants to kill you! I read in your little werewolf's mind all about Laurent and how the pack is protecting you. And that's another thing!" he raised his chin adamantly. "Why would you entrust your life to a pack of mongrel dogs?"

I heaved a groan, looking away from him. I studied the pattern on my blanket. "Are you trying to make me angry on purpose?" I asked.

He was silent for a moment. "No," he eventually responded in a chagrined voice. "I apologize, my love. I'm just so confused."

I turned in his embrace to meet his gaze. "You? Confused? Now there's something that doesn't happen every day," I teased, trying to lighten the mood. Needless to say, it didn't work.

"Bella, this is serious," he scolded me gently, his voice softening. "I was tracking Victoria nearly the entire time we were apart. I followed her to South America, for goodness' sake; and then to find out that she was here all along…it's very disconcerting. James must have taught her a trick or two."

A tremor rocked my body for half a second. I tried to think of James as little as possible. Edward, of course, mistook my shivering as being caused by his cold body, and scooted a little further away from me. "Stop that!" I protested, following him. I pressed myself to him, nuzzling my head into the crook of his neck.

"Aren't you chilly?" he asked, concerned.

"No." My answer was somewhat curt.

He made a _humph_ noise in reply, but his arms snaked around my back again, fingering the holes in my shirt. The room was suddenly filled with an odd quiet as I breathed in the scent that came off of his skin, trying to maintain my calm. _So far, so good._

But I knew that Edward wasn't going to remain silent for long. The thing about the werewolves was bothering him, not to mention the bit about my crazed vampire stalker. He would return to the subject sooner or later, and quite frankly, I preferred later. So I spoke up first.

"So back to Charlie—"

"That's a conversation for another day, I'm afraid," he cut me off with a note of finality.

I shut up quickly, avoiding an argument. The strange silence was very bewildering to the both of us…I could tell. Usually, we were more than comfortable in each other's presence, and words were not necessary.

In this instance, we each had question for the other, but neither one of us really wanted to answer the inquisitions. _So much for talking. _I searched quickly for a topic that was rather neutral, and came up with: "When can I go home? I'm getting sick of this hospital bed."

Edward chuckled. "It is rather lumpy, isn't it? Quite frankly, I don't see why you can't go home now. If you were my patient—"

"Uh-uh. Remember what Carlisle said? I'm not to take orders from _Doctor_ Edward," I reminded him.

"Ah. Correct. I'll have to ask him when he makes his rounds. He should be back at dawn."

"Oh!" I sat up directly. "Where did he and Alice go?" I asked, recalling that they'd been present before I'd gone to talk to Jake.

"Back to the house. They don't know about your…new developments," he propped himself up on one elbow.

"I see…" I nodded, understanding their need to get back to their spouses. Being apart was a painful business. I would know.

I relaxed, and we settled back down on the bed. The air in the room was not so heavy any longer, and I was emboldened by his mentions to my _new developments_, as he called them.

"So…" I began, twisting in his embrace and meeting his eyes, which were softer now. "You like my wings?" I started with a rather safe approach, although my mind was already racing ahead, planning something.

"I already said as much, did I not?" he gave me a smile, which I returned.

"Yes, you did. But—" I stopped for a second as another question interrupted my strategy. "Um…so it doesn't bother you, or anything, does it?"

A frown began to tug at the corners of his mouth. "Why would I say that I liked them if they bothered me? What are you getting at, Bella?"

A sigh escaped me as I bit my lip. "Well, I mean, I was always so predictable and boring, but now all of this is coming to light…the powers, the wings…my _identity_, I guess you could say."

He tilted my chin up a little further. "Are you asking me if I'm bothered by the fact that you could very well be an ancient deity from a myth?"

"Yeah…" my voice was spiked with insecurity.

Edward studied me for a second, but it felt like a century to me. "You still suffer from such insecurities," he finally said. "Will you never see yourself clearly? You were already beautiful beyond measure, and you completely captivated me, predictability and all. But now, Bella, you need to understand that while these changes are sometimes surprising and confusing, they are also exciting and make you all the more desirable."

"So you're okay with it?" I asked, slipping my hands around his neck, my heart thudding loudly.

"I'm more than okay with it," he assured me.

I grinned, now fully prepared to proceed. "I'm so glad to hear you say that," I admitted, nuzzling his neck, and placing a kiss on his chin. "So back to my wings…"

"Hmm?"

"I couldn't help but notice that you changed my clothes," I hid my face in his chest subtly, so that I wouldn't have to look at his eyes. _Not yet, anyway_.

His breathing hitched nearly imperceptibly. "Only your blouse," he said quickly. "It was torn," he explained.

"Edward Cullen…do you mean to tell me that you removed my clothing without my permission?"

He wasn't expecting that, and he searched quickly for an answer. "Well…yes, but it was _torn_, Bella. Nearly ripped to shreds. I—I didn't have to do much removing."

I concealed my smile before finally looking at him again. His face was the picture of innocence, a stereotypical portrait of the perfect gentleman from the early 1900s. He almost looked ashamed. "But you did remove it."

He nodded, confused as to where I was going with this. "I'm sorry, Bella, I meant nothing inappropriate by it. I was just trying to—" he rushed, trying to cover his error. For a moment, I nearly felt sorry for teasing him. He had been raised, after all, in an era where even seeing a woman's ankle was considered terribly scandalous. _What a shock the flapper years must have been for people of his generation_, I reflected, thinking back to pictures I'd seen of girls in the 20s, after the first world war, in short skimpy dresses, without a corset or brazier of any kind.

"Don't worry about it," I brushed off his hurried apology, refusing to be deterred. "You didn't do anything wrong. What I wanted to know was…" I leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "did you like what I had on underneath?"

Undergarments were something that we had never discussed, and he was taken aback. He faltered before a smooth smile crept over his face. "Honestly? Bella, I don't know if we should be talking about this—"

"Oh, come on," I insisted. "Don't be a prude. Just answer the question."

"Yes," he replied quickly, staring into my eyes. I had a feeling that if vampires could blush, he would have been a lovely shade of pink. "I liked it, but really, love, this topic is most inappropriate."

I ran my tongue over my lips, and his gaze shot immediately to them. "Do you mean to tell me that after what you said to me in the bathroom earlier today, that you're scared to talk about my bra? I don't think that you're really as innocent as you seem," I accused playfully.

He let out a breath. "I suppose you're right, honey, but you must recall that in my day, we never would have even thought about saying anything in regards to a woman's…underwear."

"I know. But we're not in your day anymore, Edward," I reminded him firmly, now quite determined to reach the goal I had in mind. "This is the twenty-first century. It's _okay_. Besides, I think that for a boy who is fine with calling my derrière a _tight ass_, and who stays in my bed with me every night, is far beyond the 1917 ideal of propriety."

He had to laugh at that, because he knew I was right. "Very well, love. You win yet again, with your infallible logic. I loved your bra. Are you content now?"

"Nearly," I said, pressing myself even closer to his chest. He hadn't caught on quite yet, which was just fine with me. "I have an idea."

"And what might that be?" he inquired, his arms tightening around me.

"Since you're now past the line of old-fashioned decorum, and since you've already seen my chest without a shirt, I think it's in my best interest for me to do away with it," I stated plainly.

I caught him by surprise yet again, and he gaped at me. "Bella, are you serious? You're keeping your clothes on, young lady."

"No I'm not," I contradicted, quickly extracting myself from his hold. I crossed my arms and grasped the hem of the blouse, more than prepared to yank it off.

His hands moved like lightning, and pressed my own against my hips, immobilizing them. "Yes. You. Are. What are you trying to do, seduce me?"

"What are you so scared of?" I taunted him a little, moistening my lips again.

He gritted his teeth together. "Hurting you," he answered honestly, as I'd known he would. "You are enough of a temptation as it is. How many times do you need reassurance that I do indeed desire you, Bella?"

"I'm not looking for reassurance," I clarified. "I'm looking for recompense."

His grip nearly slackened in his surprise, but he held steady. "What are you talking about now? Recompense for what, exactly?"

"You need to finish what you started in the restroom before Alice's interruption, Mr. Cullen," I told him. "And I doubt that you need to worry about doing me any harm."

"I could crush your wrists this instant," he retaliated, trying to scare me into abandoning my mission for satisfaction.

"I'm strong now."

"Only when you're angry! We've established that already. You didn't have any strength after I dazzled you during the tests, or have you forgotten that so quickly?"

"But don't you think that if at any moment you were hurting me, that I would get angry? You know how my temper swings so rapidly now," I persisted. "I could push you away before you did any damage. And besides, I don't think you could, anyway."

"Of course I could. If I misjudged my strength for only a second, why, I could mangle you! Is that worth a little foreplay? I hardly think so."

"I disagree," I huffed. "And that wasn't what I meant. I know that you're strong, but my point is that I really don't think that you could hurt me. You love me too much. And didn't you just say a moment ago that I had infallible logic?"

He had no response for that, and I lifted my eyebrows pleadingly. "Please?" I asked in a small voice, hoping that he wouldn't be able to resist my puppy-dog face. "We don't have to go all the way, if you don't want to. I know that it might be a little soon for that, but I just need to be closer to you. _With_ you."

That did it.

In a movement so swift that even my new eyes could not comprehend, he ripped my shirt off over my head. I gasped at the sudden rush of air, and then I was flat against the mattress, with him hovering over me. His eyes were the dangerously dark ones of a predator, a lethal warning to me, his prey. This, naturally, only served to turn me on.

"Is this what you want?" he growled, holding my arms against my sides.

"Yes," I squeaked. I wasn't scared by any means, only surprised that my plan had actually worked.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing to me?" his voice lowered as he ran his nose over my collarbone and up to my jugular vein. He inhaled.

I couldn't answer, since I seemed to have suddenly run out of air.

"This is so stupid," he muttered under his breath. "Endangering you like this…listen…" his voice got louder, and he looked at me straight in the eyes, holding my gaze captive. "I can't fight you any more…I've missed you too much to resist. But if I tell you that we have to stop, then we _have to stop_. Do you understand? _Promise me._"

_Anything you want, baby._ "I promise," I whispered.

Before I could catch my breath, or blink, or anything, his mouth covered mine possessively. I gasped, astonished by his sudden intensity, and he took advantage of my parted lips. My tongue met his eagerly and without pause. He stroked his tongue against mine slowly, then quickly, then slowly again. The sudden changes in pace sent tingles all the way down to my toes, and our legs tangled together.

I moaned as my abdomen began to clench in that deliciously painful way. I was wet and aroused almost instantly, and Edward inhaled appreciatively, pulling away and speaking against my lips. "God, you have no idea how mouthwatering that smells."

_Good evening, Frisky Edward. So you do exist…I thought we would never meet_.

"Tell me," I muttered back, "tell me what it's like."

With a groan, his hands let go of my arms to skim over the bare skin of my waist. He kissed my collarbone. "It's like the most delicious edible flower," he answered, the sentence broken up by more kisses. "I just want to eat you."

_You want to what?_ He continued his ministrations without any hesitation; I don't think he realized the effect his words had on me. He'd merely been referring to the fact that if my scent were indeed an edible flower, he would have partaken of it. I, of course, interpreted it as his mouth on me. _Down there_. I froze, my mind filled with sudden daydreams and fantasies. What would it feel like? Was it even possible for him to kiss me there with the danger that his teeth posed to me? After all, we had discovered that he could kiss my mouth more deeply without any problems…all I had to do was be cautious. I added it to my mental list.

A light sucking sensation interrupted my erotic deluge of thought, and I realized with a shock that Edward had taken a bit of my throat between his lips, and was giving me a hickey. I would have laughed aloud at the irony of it, had I not been so stimulated by his mouth on my skin. _I'm probably the only girl in history who can boast of a hickey given to her by a vampire._ He sucked a little harder, then leaned back a little to observe his handiwork. He looked pleased as he ducked down again to run his tongue over the mark. The _mark_. Edward had marked me as his.

The idea of it was so primal and primitive, and outrageously fervent, that I couldn't help myself. I knotted my fingers in his messy hair and tugged. He complied most willingly, bringing his head up to me. I latched my own mouth onto his skin.

It was pretty obvious that there was no way in the world that I could give him a hickey. There was no blood in his body, therefore no mark was ever going to appear, no matter how hard I sucked. But I also knew full well that his skin was extremely sensitive, and I had a feeling that he would appreciate the sensation.

As I elicited a moan from him, I giggled against his throat. I opened my eyes against his pale skin and licked my way up to his ear. The taste of him was like nothing else…it was sweet, but not in that sickening I-ate-too-much-cotton-candy way. It was more like…well, I really couldn't describe it. Pushing the thought away, I suckled his earlobe until he gasped.

He withdrew the upper half of his body, groaning something that sounded a lot like "You're going to be the death of me." Then he stopped moving, and looked down at me. And he _really_ looked.

Staring at my scantily clad chest, his own chest moved more quickly with each intake of breath. He stared for so long that a traitorous blush ravaged my skin, and I resisted the urge to cover myself. Before I could say anything, though, he slid his body down so that his head was level with my breasts. "White is so virginal," he commented. Lifting a finger, he traced the blue pattern, and I bit back a whimper as he ran over my nipple. Even through the bra's padding, one could tell that it sprang to life. "And blue is so seductive, especially against your skin," he whispered. My breath started coming faster, and he raised an eyebrow. "May…" he stopped outlining, and pushed his palm fully against the underside of my left breast.

"May what?" I asked, my mouth dry with excitement and apprehension.

"May I touch you?"

_How gentlemanly_. "Yes," I answered quickly, my erect nipple longing for his touch again.

He must have sensed my exhilaration at the prospect of these steps forward in our physical relationship, because as he reached behind me to unclasp the bra, he met my eager eyes. "Calm down a little," he suggested. "We aren't running a race here."

I desperately wanted to argue. It wasn't fair that he could be primitive and swift and give me hickeys, while I had to stay composed. I fully planned on voicing this opinion, until I felt the bra come completely off. All thoughts fled my mind as I watched Edward take in my naked torso. His eyes lingered on the points of my breasts, and then his hands were full of them.

I let my whimper out this time, unable to stop its escape. It was as though my breasts were the perfect match for his hands. Not too big, and not too small, they fit within his grasp perfectly.

"You like that?" he squeezed gently, sending a shock straight to my core.

"God, yes," I moaned as he carefully started to stroke my left nipple. Every touch on my upper body only intensified the need in my lower. Seeking alleviation for the ache between my legs, I ground my hips against his.

He needed no further incentive, as he had earlier in the day. He quickly responded, pressing back against me. I gasped as I felt the evidence of his own arousal. Although it was confined to his pants, it was rock-hard, and I felt the sudden need to see it with my own eyes.

_Can I trade Frisky Edward for Naked Edward?_

It was probably a stupid question, so I kept it to myself. _After all_, I reminded myself as he kissed the valley between my breasts, _this is a huge step for him. No need to scare him off_.

"Your skin tastes so good," he muttered against me, moving his lips over the rapidly appearing goose bumps that spread across me. All I could do was moan in reply, as he pinched my nipple more firmly before placing his mouth ever so tenderly on it.

The wet feeling was rather a surprise, and I mewled as the nub under his tongue tightened even more. Slowly, he stroked his tongue over the peak, and I shuddered beneath him as strange feelings coursed through my body. He repeated it several more times, turning my legs to mush.

_Oh. My. God. _

He continued to suckle me as I moaned and writhed beneath him. I tried not to move too much, but it was so difficult. My hips seemed to have developed a mind of their own, and they rotated against his lower region of their own accord.

Edward's hands skirted downwards, over my waist, and down my thighs. As he switched his attentions to my other breast, who had been feeling rather left out, he simultaneously wrapped his hand around my knee, hitching it up over his waist.

The position put our lower bodies flush against each other, and it made me dizzy to realize that there were only a few thin layers of fabric separating us.

I gripped his arms as I tightly as I could with my little hands as he pulled away from my upright nipple, slowly peppering kisses across the rest of my torso. I felt a flash of irritation sweep through me. _Of all times to slow down, he had to pick now!_ But I fought the frustration, focusing on the being in front of me.

Feeling a surge of confidence, I reached for the buttons of his shirt. He raised his head in curiosity. "It's only fair," I said.

He grinned, and then sat up, leaving my arms empty. In a flash, the shirt was gone, and he lay against me again. I was fully unprepared for the feeling of his freezing chest against mine, and it nearly took my breath away. The cold made my nipples pebble all the more against his pecs, and we both moaned at the contact. "You little seductress…" he kissed my wrist.

I was unable to keep my hands off of him. Having never seen any bare part of him, save for his face, neck, and arms, I was amazed. I ran my fingers across his chest, over his shoulders, _everywhere_, tracing the muscles, and marveling at their smoothness. I lifted my head from the pillow to kiss a nearly translucent scar on his left shoulder that was almost an exact replica of my own. He must have received it sometime after his transformation, as all human blemishes were done away with when one was changed.

He hissed in satisfaction, and I wondered if he got the same pleasure from it as I did when he traced or kissed the scar on my hand.

Other than that, my weak human eyes could not distinguish any marks upon his body. He was perfect, as though carved from marble. My eyes could not get enough, and I ravished him with my gaze.

He seemed mildly amused by my hungry perusal of his upper body, and in response, he picked up where he'd left off, and tugged on my calf. I encircled his waist with my leg as he ran his hands over it, and tickled the crease on the back side of my knee.

The teasing touches were almost more unbearable than the direct pressure he'd blessed my breasts with earlier, and I grew frustrated again. A surge of strength ran through me, and I forcefully pulled him down to me, attacking his lips with my own. If he was upset by my sudden display of vigor, he didn't show it. He kissed me back with the same fervency, our lips moving quickly together.

He shifted, then, positioning our legs so that he was straddling one of mine, and I was wrapped around one of his. He pressed down and I gasped at the result. His cell phone happened to be in his right-hand pants pocket, which was wedged down between my legs. It wasn't terribly bulky, as cell phones go, but I could feel it as it rubbed against my center. Keen on the idea of fulfillment, I gyrated against that spot on his jeans, biting back moan after moan.

Edward worked with me, swiveling his constricted erection against my thigh. In this manner we established an awkward, if strangely satisfying, rhythm. This was definitely something that I had never pictured in all my life, and to tell the truth, we probably looked ridiculous, but at the moment, I couldn't care less. This was here and now. This was Edward crossing a handful of boundaries.

"Oh, fuck…" he groaned under his breath, grinding against me as hard as he dared. "That feels so good."

I caught a gasp in my throat, dually astounded at the sensations that our rhythm caused, as well as at his particular choice of curse. I, for one, had never been fond of expletives. I found that it merely constituted a lack of vocabulary, and for the most part was unnecessary and vulgar.

Now, my reaction was the complete opposite. I liked this new, daring Edward: the one who was willing to listen to me, and explore our physicality together. His cursing served to stoke the fire in my belly to an even hotter temperature, and I started to whimper as I felt myself getting closer to that feeling from my memory.

"Don't hold back," he whispered sexily, licking at the hickey he'd given me. "Bella…I want to hear you."

"Oh, my word…" my voice was breathy and unnatural as I processed his words. He wanted to _hear _me.

"That's right," he continued, turning the tables on me as he became the seducer and I the seduced. "Let it out. I want to see you come, Bella. Once was not enough for me. I want to be the one to have caused it. Come on!" he urged me.

My moans grew louder and our rotations got faster with each passing second. "Holy crow…Edward, this feels so good. I—I can't even think straight," I gasped, holding on to him with all my might.

His hands reached out and gripped the bed on either side of my pillow. He confessed, "I can't think straight either…oh, shit, Bella…"

A sudden vibration rubbed against my clitoris, sending pulsations through the fabric. I gasped in pleasant surprise, as my pulse raced. This was _just_ what I needed. The extra sensations were sending tingles through my lower regions, and my core throbbed almost painfully. I was so close…I could feel myself escalating quickly. Almost there!

But he pulled away.

My mouth fell open as Edward disentangled himself from my arms. "What are you doing?" I demanded, my chances of orgasm growing slimmer by the second. Before I could yank him back into place, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. It was vibrating violently.

_Oh_.

He looked at me apologetically, and I crossed my arms over my exposed chest. "What?" he answered abruptly into the phone.

He listened for half a second, then said, "This had better be important."

As I spiraled down from what would have been a lovely climax, I tried to hear what was being said on the other line, but all I could make out were undertones. Edward's face changed. "I see. I'll be home shortly."

He snapped the phone shut, and leaned back on his heels. I took a quick glance at his crotch and saw that he was still hard. "Bella," he called, and my eyes shot back up to his. "We shall have to continue this at a different time. I'm so sorry, love. But that was Alice. Eleazar and Carmen have made quick time, and will be here in the morning. Carlisle wants me to go home so that we can discuss some things…and besides, you ought to get some rest."

I thought about pouting, but realized quickly that it was unnecessary. _"We shall have to continue this," he says…indeed. I'll hold you to that_. I let out a sigh. "All right. Do what you gotta do."

He beamed at me, obviously glad that I wasn't making a scene or losing my temper, as I was so prone to doing now. "I'll be back shortly after you wake up, if not sooner," he promised, leaning down for a good-bye kiss. After a quick peck, he whispered against my lips. "Wear a shirt that will show off that hickey."

And then he was gone.

***

Falling back asleep was one of the hardest things I'd ever done. To begin with, I was just beginning to readjust to sleeping with Edward there. And now he wasn't. I missed his cool body…I had nothing to snuggle with. Besides, I had always slept better when he was around. In addition to this, I couldn't get comfortable. I eventually had to get up and change my clothes, because my underwear had become a disgusting sticky mess of arousal. And putting a shirt on was a really good idea.

Even then, I could not bring myself to any type of slumber. At first I thought that it was merely because my body was keyed up, due to what had just transpired between Edward and I. That, of course, brought about thoughts of a less virtuous nature. I kept expecting to wake up from a dream, and pinched myself several times, just to check. I could hardly believe that I had actually managed to lure—_well, perhaps lure isn't the right word…trick? Convince?_—Edward into pushing his boundaries. Now, I actually felt as though our physical relationship had a chance, not to mention that we needed to catch up on all of the progress that could have been made in those seven months of separation.

Thinking of his return to me prompted me to muse on what had been happening to me in the last few days. Despite the instincts and memories that I now had, I still wasn't completely comfortable with the whole idea of being a goddess. There were still too many loopholes in the story, and far too many possibilities.

_If Eleazar is right, and I am a goddess, then where did I come from? Was I born that way? And what happened between that life, and the one I'm living now? I'm pretty sure that Renee and Charlie are my birth parents, so there can't be any crazy adoption thing going on here. So was I reincarnated? If so, how many lives have I lived? Did I always have wings and this crazy temper? Why is it that I can alter the weather with emotion, and yet this is the first time we've ever seen evidence of it? Why couldn't I cause a thunderstorm when I threw temper tantrums as a child? What does the cliff-diving have to do with my amnesia, and my new powers? Is this all just coincidence, or did the cold water actually change me? What's going to happen if Renee and Charlie find out? What about my friendship with Jacob? Are the others like me still around?_

All night, my mind swarmed with question after question, until just before dawn, I drifted off into a fitful sleep. It didn't last long, and I arose early, deciding to get ready before Edward arrived.

I unlocked the door, just in case Carlisle came, and took my duffle bag into the bathroom. I washed up quickly, although washing my new hair took longer than I had expected. When I finally emerged from the shower, I took notice of my reflection.

It appeared as though while I'd slumbered, my skin had taken on an even paler cast…I was so white now, that I almost looked like a vampire. I touched my cheek, and it blushed under my touch. _Huh. _

After blow drying my hair, I burrowed quickly through the bag Alice had packed. _He wants me to wear something to show off the hickey? So be it_.

I searched for, and found, a pair of clean jeans, and was about to don a green shirt that was a little on the low-cut side, when something occurred to me. _I should probably show Eleazar and the rest of the family my wings. And I really don't want to rip another shirt_. I reached up and caressed the mark on my neck. The only shirt that Alice had packed that would allow me to show my wings without tearing anything was a pink halter top that wound around my neck. If I wore it, it would cover the hickey. On the other hand, not only would Alice be pleased at my selection, but I would also manage to salvage a blouse, as I didn't really feel like cutting holes in anything, as Edward had.

I dug to the bottom of the bag, where I'd buried the shirt. I grimaced a little as I held it up against me. It was something that I would never wear normally, because it left most of my back exposed. But seeing as how there were extenuating circumstances, I forced myself to put it on. _Besides_, I consoled myself, _if Edward really wants to see the hickey, then he'll just have to take the shirt off. Hmm…that should be interesting. Perhaps I'll meet Frisky Edward again. And anyway, if I leave my hair down, it should cover me, for the most part. _

I'd never worn much makeup in my life, just because I thought that it was rather frivolous and unnecessary. However, the ever-thoughtful Alice had also included a little case full of it; I opted to put on a smidgen of eyeliner and mascara, but only because my skin was so fair.

Before long, I was sitting on the edge of the bed, fidgeting. I twirled a strand of hair around my finger so many times that it started to curl. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Edward slipped in through the window soundlessly. He straightened up, staring at me. "Wow," he said by way of greeting.

"Hi," I answered, springing up. "I thought you'd never get here," I confessed, rushing into his arms.

He hugged me in return, and placed a kiss on the top of my head before pushing me away. He held me at arm's length, and his eyes roved over my outfit. His gaze lingered on the collar of the halter top, which enfolded around my neck. Before he could say anything, I burst out an apology. "I'm sorry, I know you wanted to be able to see it, but this is the only shirt—"

He interrupted me by gently pressing his index finger against my lips. "It's all right, Bella. I was only thinking that I like this shade of pink against your skin, almost as much as I like blue. Er…is it just me, or are you more pale this morning?"

I never got to answer, because his eyes dashed up to the door. I cocked my head, and heard lithe footsteps in the hallway. "They're here," he said.

I turned around, tucking my hair behind my ears. Edward stood next to me, an arm wrapped protectively around my waist.

"Right in here," came Carlisle's voice, and the door opened. Alice bounced through, followed by Esme, and two beautiful strangers.

I took in their appearances. So this was Eleazar, and his mate Carmen. Carlisle slipped in after them, closing the door. "How are you feeling today, Bella?" he asked me as he turned the lock.

"Better, thanks, Carlisle…" I answered in a low voice.

"Eleazar, Carmen…this is Bella. Bella, meet two of our greatest friends," he introduced us.

"Mucho gusto," Carmen greeted me. I nodded to her, smiling. She didn't seem too surprised that I was the only human locked in a room full of vampires.

I glanced at Eleazar, and found that he was staring at me intensely. I tried to smile at him, too, but his gaze was unnerving.

"Bella, I asked them to accompany us to the hospital because I wasn't sure how you would feel this morning. But if you'd like to do this someplace else, we most certainly can," Carlisle said, distracting me momentarily.

I looked up at Edward. "Yes, perhaps that would be best after all," he responded for me. "We…we need a place with lots of room, I should think."

"Very good, then, I'll go ahead and release you officially. I'm sure that we can somehow arrange for you to stay with us until this is all sorted out," decided Carlisle, putting an arm around Esme's shoulders. "So, Eleazar, before we get going, I'd like to know what you think."

A silence followed that was incredibly thick with apprehension. Finally, Eleazar spoke, his tone slightly accented. "I never forget a face," he murmured. "But I keep telling myself that it's been too long."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

His eyes, which were the same honest gold color as the Cullen's, met my own. "I remember you…the other _goddess_…" he replied. "You are the one they've been searching for."

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**A/N:** Under normal circumstances, I would apologize for the late posting of this…but seeing as how it's more than twice as long as the other chapters, I think that ought to make up for it very well.

Reviews are almost as lovely as having Frisky Edward give me a hickey. =) C'mon, guys, I'm almost to 100! Help me out.

New pictures are on my website. And please remember to vote in the poll on my profile page!

**Siobhan**…I totally understand what you mean about usernames and such. So I shall have to suffice with answering your reviews in my author's notes, because they're just too good for me to ignore!


	12. Visitors

**Vampire Goddess**

A heartbroken Bella suffers a type of amnesia after the cliff-diving incident. But instead of erasing her memories, her illness brings to light a power she never knew she possessed.

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the woman who ruined my life (Stephenie Meyer) by introducing me to the man I can never have (Edward Cullen). _

_There are certain themes in this story that heavily reflect the film Hancock. I don't own that either, sadly enough. _

**A/N: **This chapter was originally welded to the one following it, but they didn't flow well, so I split them up. They're much happier now.

And yes, I know it's terribly late. I apologize profusely.

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 11: Visitors**

"_I remember you…the other goddess…" he replied. "You are the one they've been searching for."_

I found myself caught in Eleazar's piercing golden stare. "Who are _they_?" I managed to ask. "And what do you mean 'the other goddess'? How is it that you can remember me, yet I can't remember you?"

Eleazar held up a hand to stop my barrage of questions, and spoke, his voice lilting. "If we are going to go elsewhere, then I suggest we go now. I'd rather tell my story all at once, if you don't mind."

Carlisle stepped towards the door again. "That's fine. I'll just get Dr. Watkins to finish up my rounds this morning, and we can be on our way."

I was planning on opening my mouth the second that he was out of the room, but Eleazar and Carmen were right on his heels, Esme trailing behind. Alice, Edward, and I were left alone.

Alice clapped her hands lightly, interrupting my train of thought. "Oh, Bella, I'm so proud of you for picking that outfit! You're a knock-out! But next time, let me do the makeup, okay?"

I gaped at her in disbelief. I had known she would like my clothing choices, but of all the times to mention it! _Hello! We're about to find out what's wrong with me, and you want to talk about my fashion and makeup decisions?_

I nearly spit the words out, but swallowed them after a quick second thought. Alice had mentioned before that someone might notice the crazy weather, and I didn't want to take the chance of getting irritated.

As my glimmer of annoyance faded, it was replaced by apprehension. "How is today going to turn out, Alice?" I asked her, choosing to completely ignore her mention of my outfit.

She danced closer to us, a sly smile on her face. Edward groaned next to me, and I glanced at him. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alice, really, if you want to keep me out of your thoughts, you can do anything you like. Anything _except_ sing 'It's a Small World.' Please, Alice, I'd rather listen to 'Barbie Girl,' for crying out loud."

Alice giggled, touching her hand to her black hair. "Sorry, Edward, it was the first thing that came to mind. I don't want you to see the outcome, either, because that would just ruin it for Bella. And for you, too. This is something that both of you need to experience for yourselves, without my input. But you have no idea how hard it is not to tell you guys!"

I let out a sigh, knowing that she was probably right. Without another word, the three of us filed out, eager for an explanation from our visitors.

***

Edward had ushered me into his silver Volvo without further ado; he didn't even wait for me to retrieve my duffle bag, nor did he listen to the nurse who followed us out, insisting that I had to leave the hospital in a wheelchair.

As he closed the door after me, I inhaled deeply. My heightened sense of smell could now better appreciate how the car was positively drenched in Edward's mouthwatering scent. He was in the driver's seat in a flash, smirking at me. "Like what you smell?"

I chuckled. "The car smells insanely wonderful…but…" I hesitated as I fastened my seatbelt.

Like a bullet, we shot from the parking lot. Speeding down the road, Edward prompted me. "But what?"

I leaned over the console and whispered in the best seductive tone I could muster. "But I like the source of the scent much better."

His hands tightened on the steering wheel, and I dared myself to look at the speedometer. _Geez! 80 in a 40 mile zone._

The rest of the ride to the Cullen's house was spent in a sexually tense silence, with each of us sending quick glances at the other. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something had changed since our tryst the night before. It felt as though we ought to be more open with each other now, and yet we were both hesitating stupidly. _Maybe it's because we were interrupted. Or maybe it's just because Eleazar and Carmen are here._

I contented myself with that explanation long enough to make it to the house without driving myself crazy. As Edward came around to open my door for me, I looked up at the mansion in awe. It had been quite some time since I'd last seen it, on the fateful night of my eighteenth birthday…but I felt no fear; only elation filled me at being here again, with Edward. It was more like home than my own house.

He caught my hand as we walked around the house to the backyard. Our fingers interlocked, and the tension thickened. I wanted to launch myself at him…tear his clothes off and see his perfect marble chest again. I wanted to lure Fun Edward out of his shell…I wanted to hear Husky Edward's velvet voice…and I definitely wanted to get into Frisky Edward's pants.

_Whoa, whoa, whoa, Bella! Where did that come from? You want to get into his pants?_

My eyes roamed over the vegetation surrounding the house, willing myself to look anywhere but at him. I concentrated on keeping my lungs steady. I turned the thoughts over in my mind a good twenty times before I could make heads or tails of them. Granted, I'd always wanted our physical relationship to move forward. That was a given from the very first time he'd touched me. And it was often difficult to remember that we really hadn't been together all that long…even now, we'd only had a couple days to get reacquainted, and I already felt as though no time had passed.

_Yeah, that hole in my chest? It's gone_.

"What are you thinking?"

I glanced coyly at Edward out of the corner of my eye. "That's your favorite question, isn't it?"

He heaved a sigh. "Well, it's the only one that accurately answers everything I'm curious about. You know, I always thought that I would relish the silence that might come if I were ever around people whose thoughts were barred from me…and I think I still would, if it were any other person but you." He smiled at me, squeezing my hand gently.

I glanced down, purely out of habit. I had to watch where I was going…_it wouldn't do for me to break something after just barely being released from the hospital_. "I was only…well—I was just thinking how despite all this insecurity regarding _me_, I just feel right. You know?" I looked up in time to see Edward cock his head. "I feel as though you were never away. You fit into my life so perfectly."

"I know exactly what you mean, Bella!" he exclaimed, the former tension from the car ride dissolving. He stopped walking, and I turned towards him. His hands gravitated towards my shoulders, and his eyes lit up when he touched my bare skin.

"You do?" I asked stupidly.

"Yes…it feels as though even when we're fighting, or discussing, or trying to figure things out, like your new powers, we're better together. I feel as though I never left. You accepted me back so quickly, even though I don't deserve it."

"Exactly!" I threw my arms around his neck, and his hands moved down to my waist. "Did I ever tell you what Alice said to me the first night after I woke up?"

He shook his head, and I grinned. "She said that we were destined for each other."

Edward's eyes met mine. "Destined. Really?"

I smirked. "I know it sounds a little cheesy, but really, doesn't it fit what we were just saying? I feel incomplete without you—"

"As I do without you," he interrupted me.

I opened my mouth, daring myself to tell him about the rest of Alice's words.

"_I don't know what's wrong with you. But I do know that whatever it is, it's not going to get in the way of you and Edward…I see you becoming one of us." _

He beat me to the draw, however, occupying my lips with an enthusiastic kiss. I responded in kind, pressing myself as tightly to his chest as I could. His cold hands reached all the way around me and settled on my bare back. I gasped into his mouth, not having anticipated the movement. He chuckled in response, and drew back. "Did I mention how ravishing you look in this top?" he touched the collar of the blouse before leaning down and breathing over the spot where the hickey should have been visible. "But despite that, I intend to see this mark by the end of today."

I suddenly found that I was having trouble breathing. "Whenever you want," I managed to choke out.

"Whenever I want _what_?"

I turned in Edward's arms, caught by surprise as Emmett and Rosalie strode towards us from across the river, still several yards from where we stood. Although I was amazed that I was able to hear their footsteps, and Emmett's normal tone of voice from where I was, I blushed madly at having been caught in the middle of an embrace. Luckily, although my insides had turned to mush, there was no arousal yet, so there was nothing for them to smell.

"None of your business," I decided to tease, sticking my tongue out at him. Edward laughed as Emmett reciprocated, bounding to our sides. Rosalie hung back, staring at me from afar.

"You look ridiculous, Em, sticking your tongue out like a kid," Edward told him, pulling me closer to his side with one arm.

Emmett actually looked offended. "Me? She did it first."

"Well, you are some ninety years older than me, aren't you?" I prodded. He laughed then, his entire six foot five frame shaking.

"You may have a point, Bella. But some kids never grow up."

I shifted my eyes to Rosalie as she sauntered towards us, drawn by the laughter of her mate. My mouth fell open, and I probably resembled a gaping fish head, but I couldn't think of the best way to answer her. This was probably the first time she'd ever spoken directly to me.

I never got a chance to say anything, because within seconds, we heard the sound of engines revving, and then cars screeching to a halt in front of the garage. In a flash, the entire Cullen clan stood around me, with the guests in their midst.

I took a moment to further study the appearances of our visitors. Eleazar had the look of a typical Spaniard, with dark brown chestnut hair and a strong nose. His skin was pale and subtly glowing, and his eyes retained the same calm golden resonance. I looked at Carmen, and decided quickly that she was just as beautiful as Esme. Her hair was as equally dark as her mate's, and her eyes tilted upwards at the corners in a slightly feline manner. She smiled at me again, and I found myself grinning in return.

"Well, Bella, don't you have something to show us?" Alice asked slightly absent-mindedly from Jasper's side. I glanced at her and saw that she was coming out of a vision. She met my eyes knowingly, suppressing a smile, and I knew that she'd seen my wings in her mind.

I hesitated. "Um…I think I'd like to hear the story first," I stalled.

"I think I'd like to see what your powers are before I confirm anything," Eleazar countered.

I watched Rosalie out of the corner of my eye. If anything, she would be the one to downplay my powers and humiliate me in some way. But Alice sent a nod my way, and I knew that nothing would go terribly awry. "Okay…well, I guess I ought to start with something kind of new," my voice faltered as I stepped away from Edward slowly.

"New?" asked Carlisle, a confused look on his face.

"Yeah. I discovered it last night, by accident, and, um…well, just watch." I took a deep breath as I calculated the space around me. I had enough room for my wings to appear, but now I actually had to get them to show up.

I reached for that inner knowledge that simmered just under my consciousness. The same power that had told me how to hide the wings now prompted my instinct as to how they should be sprouted properly. I pushed away my human fear. It had hurt like hell the first time, but a part of me knew that they would no longer cause me pain. It had been so excruciating in the woods with Jacob because my body needed to rearrange several of the bones in my back in order to make room for the feathery extensions.

I regulated my breathing and pulled my long hair forward so that it wouldn't be in the way, leaving my back bare and exposed. Emmett and Rosalie raised their eyebrows, but I didn't stop to think about this. My hands moved to my sides, and as I balled them into fists, I met Edward's eyes.

Summoning the strength that I still failed to understand, my back tensed, and my two snowy white wings burst out in an explosion of down feathers. All manner of gasps and murmurs besieged my onlookers. Only Edward and Eleazar remained passive. Even Alice, who had just had a vision of this exact same occurrence, was squealing excitedly.

"Goodness gracious," came from Esme, whose hand was covering her mouth.

"Holy shit!" was Emmett's response as he ogled the sight before him.

"No. Fucking. Way. She get's _wings…_why?" Rosalie's disgruntled and disbelieving tone marred the background.

"Unbelievable," murmured Jasper as Alice bounced up and down at his side.

"I've never seen such a thing!" Amazement colored Carlisle's usually professional voice.

"Dios mio!" exclaimed Carmen, reacting much the same way as Esme.

All this I gleaned from my peripheral vision and my newly sharpened hearing. I had eyes only for Edward, and was able to properly see how much he truly did like how I looked with my downy appendages. His face was alight with wonder, and he sent me a grin that made me weak in the knees.

A rough cough from Eleazar calmed everyone down, but Carlisle spoke before the Spaniard got a chance. "Bella, can you fly with them?"

I crossed my arms, still not one hundred percent comfortable. "I'm not sure. I haven't tried."

"There will be time for that," said Eleazar, stepping forward. With a hard gaze, he walked around me in a circle, scrutinizing every inch of me. I blushed in embarrassment.

"Do you hear me, señorita?" he asked, stopping in front of me.

"Of course," I responded, shifting my body to accommodate the slight weight added to my back.

"It fits," he whispered then, almost to himself. "The coloring, the wings, the ability to hear without even realizing it…tell me, Miss Swan: Carlisle says that you were having flashbacks. Is this true?"

"Yes…I've had it happen to me twice. Once, not long after we realized that something was going on, and then again when Carlisle told me your suspicions," I related.

"If you are who I believe you to be, then surely one of your first memories would involve a sexual act. Am I correct in assuming this?" he questioned me.

I stammered for an answer, my face growing redder by the second. Emmett giggled in the awkward silence right before I managed to say "Yes."

"And your emotions are affecting the weather…" Eleazar mused, cocking his head to the side. "Yes, it must be you. The similarities are too striking."

Finally fed up with beating around the bush, I scrunched up my brow in frustration. "So are you going to tell me what's going on, or what?"

"Would you like to sit down?" he suggested. "I know that humans tend to tire—"

Although what he was suggesting was quite considerate, I was far too eager. "I'm fine. _Please_, Eleazar…I'm begging you," I pleaded, my face earnest.

"As you wish, Miss Swan. When I was a young vampire, many centuries ago, I discovered that I had a gift for noticing the abilities of humans. I could usually see if they would have an extraordinary power if they were turned. Later, this was used to the Volturi's advantage, but that is not relevant to your story. As it happens, I was traveling in Greece with the coven I belonged to at the time. We were all rather young, but we had decided to abstain from human blood, since we treasured the curiosities and subtleties of humanity. We loved their nature, and especially their art.

"The world was just blossoming then. Rome had fallen, and Christianity was spreading around the known world. The architecture of the time was quite impressive…at any rate, we were in Greece when we heard a rumor about a group of wonderfully talented humans. We were curious, and we traced them." Here, Eleazar paused, and the look of concentration in his eyes intensified. "We found your kind."

My breath hitched in my lungs: this was the part I wanted to hear. "And what exactly is _my kind_?"

"There are many different names for them. But the most commonly used is the one Carlisle related to you. Gods and goddesses. And you are one of them." He stopped to see if I would interrupt again, but I was at a loss for words.

_So it's true. I really am a…goddess_.

"It was a relatively small group that we found. You and your friends were rather fascinated by us vampires, just as we were fascinated with you. After some time, we became friends. Our groups went our separate ways, but after about fifty years, I received word that you had gone missing. Your family searched for you, but never found you. Yet here you stand."

"Que barbaridad," Carmen murmured in a soft undertone from where she stood, a few feet behind her mate.

I bit my lip. "What else do you know about me? Where are the others now? Where was I for so many years? Why can I only remember bits and pieces—?"

Eleazar began to shake his head, and I came to a hesitant stop. "It is not my place to tell you of your past. Besides that, I do not know all of it. But if you like, I can summon your brother and sister. They will be most glad to find you safe and sound."

I looked at Edward as I said, "Yes, please."

"Very well…" Eleazar glanced at Carlisle, who was at his side in an instant. "My friend, I think that you will find this very interesting. Bella's people all have an extraordinary way of communicating. Their minds are connected with each others, and with no one else's. It's a form of telepathy. We became rather close, and they taught me the secret…"

As Eleazar and Carlisle put their heads together, discussing, Edward came towards me, enveloping me in a huge hug. "Are you all right?" he whispered in my ear, although everyone could hear us anyway.

"I think so…" I answered, willing my wings to go away. They disappeared with a pop, and I relaxed as my back was relieved of the tension. "It's just so much to take in…it's no longer an assumption."

"I know, love," he touched my chin lightly. "Now it's real."

* * *

**A/N: **Did you know that I have author's notes at the beginning of every chapter? Yes. I do. Don't forget to read those, too. =) Okay, so here's the deal. I know that this chapter doesn't seem very impressive. As a matter of fact, I found it rather short and kinda lame. But the thing is that it needed to be separate from the next chapter in order for things to flow smoothly.

Reviews are love.

A million thanks, by the way, for the response to the last few chapters. You guys are awesome! And I wanted to give a shout out to **Siobhan**, as always, for being so amazing with her thorough review. You rock my socks! Also, **ShadeFighting300**: your review was astounding as well. And by the way, I did indeed get that last pm, and I will answer you at some point, hehe.

Oh, and to all of you that review for each and every chapter: I love you! Thank you so much for sticking with me so far.


	13. Past

**Vampire Goddess**

A heartbroken Bella suffers a type of amnesia after the cliff-diving incident. But instead of erasing her memories, her illness brings to light a power she never knew she possessed.

* * *

_I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the woman who ruined my life (Stephenie Meyer) by introducing me to the man I could never have (Edward Cullen). _

_There are certain themes in this story that heavily reflect the film Hancock. I don't own that either, sadly enough._

**A/N:** Greetings from Spain! I do believe that this is the chapter you've all been waiting for.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Past**

We eventually drifted into the house, Edward's hand on the small of my back to guide me. I probably would have stayed rooted to my spot in the backyard if the family hadn't prompted me to move indoors and sit down. Eleazar and Carlisle had their heads together like a coupled of boy scouts, while Carmen, Alice, and Esme chatted excitedly about me and the appearance of my wings. Rosalie disappeared upstairs, while Emmett and Jasper plopped down in front of the big screen TV and started in on some video game.

Esme had offered me some breakfast, claiming that she'd filled the refrigerator just for me, but I declined, lacking an appetite. I remained silent on her pristine white couch, with Edward at my side. I stared blankly ahead, my thoughts a maelstrom of confusion. The goddess within me—the one who had pushed my power, given me memories, and known what to do with my wings—had given me a hint as to the others like me…I'd seen some of them in my new memories, such as Athena. _But I still don't know who I am, exactly…I don't even know if this is real. I have a brother and sister? Why didn't they show up in my flashbacks?_

My mind revolved with the possibilities as I sieved through my recollections, trying to remember if at any point during this transformation I had come across any family members. It got me nowhere, except to remind me that Carlisle had never tested my resistance to Edward, and that we had never mentioned the details of my orgasmic flashback. I tucked these thoughts into the furthest corner of my mind, hoping that we would never have to actually go through with them. It was probably a moot point, as Carlisle would undoubtedly inquire about Eleazar's comment at some time or another. _"If you are who I believe you to be, then surely one of your first memories would involve a sexual act."_ I turned pink at the very idea, and Edward ran a finger over my blushing cheek.

Snippets of Eleazar's and Carlisle's current conversation broke through my concentration. It was difficult to focus on what they were saying to the letter, so bemused was my brain already, but a few things made sense. Eleazar explained how the others spoke amongst themselves with a form of telepathy. Apparently, Edward wasn't the only creature in the world who could read minds, so my kind had developed a way to effectively block their psyche, barring all access from outsiders: the only ones allowed into their thoughts were those with whom they were familiar, and whom they granted express admission. Eleazar was planning to use this route now, to tell them of my whereabouts.

As the words left his mouth, Edward turned to me in surprise. "Bella, that explains so much!"

I looked at him, and saw that his face was alight with discovery. I held back a chuckle. He was so much like his foster-father. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Your mind is blocked to me because you're a goddess! And your family probably hasn't been able to reach you because you've shut everything out. I'll bet you anything that if you just opened up your mind, I could hear what you're thinking!"

The prospect obviously excited him, and I bit my lip. Although it would certainly be a wonderful thing for Edward, I wasn't sold on it one hundred percent. In a family full of vampires, nothing was hidden…my thoughts were the only things that were my own, and that could not be detected, heard, smelled, or seen by such superhuman senses. _But to disappoint him when his face looks like __**that**__would almost be a sin…_

"We'll see," I promised, running my hand absent-mindedly over his knee. "I'm not quite sure how that would work."

He nodded, his eyes still bright. "Perhaps they can teach you when they get here…"

I sighed. "Yeah." My eyes drifted down to where our bodies touched. My hand stilled. "Edward?"I whispered, although I knew that everyone would hear me nonetheless.

"Yes, love," he lowered his voice as well.

"What happens when they get here? Doesn't any of this freak you out? Just a little bit?" I rushed the words out.

He hesitated for a millisecond. "Does it freak _you_ out?" he stressed.

I lifted my eyes to his. "I suppose," I admitted. "I mean, it's all so weird and happening so fast. I'm excited at the prospect of finally figuring this out, but at the same time…I don't know."

We fell into silence again, and Edward's hand came to rest on top on mine. Having noticed our hushed conversation, the rest of the family and our two visitors had subtly moved into the kitchen, although Jasper's and Emmett's video game was still running on the abandoned PS3. I stared at the animated explosions on the screen, and thought it very apt for what my mind was feeling at the moment. Excitement, apprehension, fear, danger…it all summed up what I was going through. These occurrences were an explosion of mythology in what had once been a normal life.

What if this brother and sister of mine didn't like me anymore? After all, we'd been separated for so many years, and people change. Or worse, what if they _did_ like me, and made me leave with them? Perhaps it had been a mistake to ask Eleazar to bring them to me…but if I didn't meet them, then I would go for the rest of my life without knowing anything about my past, or my true powers. Resigning myself to the fact that this was for the best, I leaned against Edward's shoulder, and heaved a sigh.

"I wonder where we come from…" I pondered aloud. "If we're Greek gods and goddesses, then are we actually from Mount Olympus? What about God, from the Bible? What's real and what's not?" Edward's hand rubbed over mine, soothingly, and I stopped my onslaught of questions.

"I don't know, love. That's why Eleazar is asking them to come. Besides, I thought that _you _thought that he was right. And honestly, Bella? I find all of this rather intriguing," he said.

I lifted my head off of his shoulder to meet his eyes. "How so?"

"Well, really, honey, what are the odds of a vampire meeting a human who turns out to be a long-lost Grecian spirit? You have to admit that it's pretty interesting," his hand moved from his knee to mine.

Relishing the cool touch, I bit my lower lip. "Um…I guess. But don't you think that it complicates things?"

His index finger traced the outline of my knee joint through my pants, and his gaze moved beyond me to stare at the television. "No, I think that it makes things easier."

_Come again?_ "What makes you say that? It—"

"Listen, Bella," he cut me off, his eyes darting down to look at his hand on my leg. "Think of all the old stories. The gods were immortal, weren't they? And it seems to be proven by the fact that you're here, and that your brother and sister are on their way. Don't you realize what that means for me? You wouldn't have to be changed into a vampire in order to stay with me, and I wouldn't be condemning you to a soulless existence. We could just _be_."

I gripped his knee forcefully, feeling my temper rear its head, preparing to burst out. "Are we really going to go over this soul business again? That's not the issue, at least not for me. And sure, _they_ might be immortal, but I know that Renee and Charlie are my parents. I may not remember everything about them right now, but I do know that I have the exact same eyes as Charlie, and I am certain that Renee birthed me. If I'm immortal, why was I born again?"

For a split second, I thought I saw disappointment on Edward's face before it turned hard. "I hadn't thought of that…damn it."

I opened my mouth hesitantly. "Is it really all that terrible for me to be changed? Don't you want…" the words stopped short, and I couldn't make myself say it.

Then his hands were cradling my face, his fingers sweeping over my cheekbones. "Of course I _want_ you, Bella. I want you with me forever. You are my life, remember? But not this way. If we can be together without me condemning your soul—"

Unable to help myself, I interrupted swiftly, my anger just under the surface of my calm exterior. "Didn't you once tell me that you were going to hell? To do that, you have to have a soul too, you know. Otherwise, there's nothing to condemn. So as I've said before, your philosophy on the afterlife is flawed. One minute, you're going to hell; the next, you're following me to wherever I'm headed; and then to top it off, you're _soulless_. Pick one and stick to it. Really, Edward, you've thought about this a little _too _much."

His jaw tensed, and I could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he mulled this over silently. Finally, he spoke again. "Fine, I won't condemn you to hell. End of story."

He pulled his hands away from my face, and slouched down into the couch, looking like a four-year old. I leaned over him a said seriously, "Well, if we do end up there, maybe I can hook it up with Hades. I've got connections, you know."

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth once he realized that I was joking. We snuggled down into the couch, trying to simply enjoy being with each other until the others arrived.

***

"Bella…_Bella!_" a voice hissed in my ear in an urgent tone. I realized I must have fallen asleep, and my eyes flew open to see Edward's face. A torrent of emotions was streaming across his face, and my initial reaction was shock.

"What?" I gasped.

"They're here."

_They're here. The ones who can explain everything to me…I should be ecstatic! So why am I terrified? _

"Where?" was all I could say.

"Outside with Eleazar. He was right about the telepathy, Bella! He talked to them with his mind, but I couldn't hear a word of it."

I nodded, gripping the white sofa cushions with both hands. "That's nice."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Snap out of it, Bella. Your heart is going to pound right out of your chest at this rate. This is a good thing, remember? Come on. Let's go outside and meet them."

He pulled me up without another word, and led me out through the front door. I was biting my lip so hard that I had to force myself to stop. After all, this wouldn't be a very good time for anyone, especially Jasper, to be around my blood.

The sight that I beheld was one that I'll never be able to forget.

The rest of the Cullens were standing in a semi circle with their backs to me, each of them with a relaxed arm around his or her spouse. Comfortably. They were totally comfortable with all of this, even though it was all new to them. Eleazar and Carmen were in front of them, talking excitedly to the figures whose faces I had yet to see.

I took a step closer—rather, was _forced_ closer by Edward—and their faces came into my line of vision. I recognized them immediately from what I had seen in my mind's eye. _A boy and a girl, not that much older than I, with distinct angelic grace, unmatched even by the predatory poise of vampires_. My heart faltered before picking up its pulse again, racing madly. It pounded loudly in my ears, shutting out all other sound. I _knew_ these people. But how? They couldn't possibly be the ones that Eleazar had called my brother and sister. Surely he'd been speaking in a figurative sense.

How could I, Bella Swan, goddess or no goddess, be sister to Apollo and Artemis?

Apollo, God of the Sun. Artemis, Goddess of the Moon. I was certain of it. Their faces were identical to those of my memories. While most of my flashbacks had been sketchy and full of blank space, there had been a few that were as clear as day, such as my recollections of Ares and Athena. And Apollo and Artemis, too.

I gasped for air, unable to stop myself from being too loud. Apollo and Artemis tore their eyes from Eleazar, and focused on me.

Every sense in my body seemed to freeze. The only thing I saw was them. The only sound I heard was the frantic beating of my heart. I think I even stopped breathing. I felt nothing, apart from this now common sensation of recognition mixed with unfamiliarity. I _knew_ them, and yet, I didn't know them. It was the strongest déjà vu I had ever experienced.

Artemis started towards me after the initial moment of shock, her arms outstretched. My legs moved of their own volition, even though my mind remained confused, and I felt myself propelled towards her.

"Aurora," she breathed as her arms enveloped me, crushing my body tightly to her chest. I gasped from the pressure, but found my arms encircling her as well. I felt an instant connection to this beautiful girl, and my eyes floated shut. We stood for a moment in silence, before she held me at arm's length. Her eyes moved over my face again and again, as though she were trying to memorize my features. She studied me before speaking. "You don't remember, do you."

I bit my tongue. The question had emerged as a statement. I shook my head 'no'. Her calm face adopted a look of resigned sadness.

My eyes moved beyond her heavenly face to the man who stood behind her. His eyes were bright blue and they glowed with a knowledge that I could not understand. His hair was almost as long as mine and Artemis', which surprised me somewhat, and it was as golden as the sun…fitting for the Sun God.

His skin was luminous, but in a different way than his sister's. Hers shimmered like stars were embedded in her skin, while his shone like sunlight. I immediately felt envy. The twinge of jealousy I had always felt for the Cullen's beauty could not compare to what I sensed now. The feeling was pushed away by a wave of calm, and I mentally thanked Jasper for monitoring me.

Apollo took a few steps forward as Artemis took a few steps back, allowing him to stand in front of me. He touched my arms lightly, before gripping them in a type of embrace right above my elbows. My hands curved up to grasp his arms in return. His eyes penetrated mine, and I was somewhat reminded of the depth of Jasper's often tortured gaze. I instantly felt the same connection that I had a few seconds before to Artemis.

"Sister," he said, he voice deep and resonant. And I knew that he was addressing me, not Artemis.

"So it's true, then," was all I managed to say.

His hands gripped my arms more tightly. "Yes."

I swallowed, feeling my conscious return to full awareness. I could once again feel the presence of the Cullen's around us, and hear the sounds of the forest in the background. "I'm afraid that I don't remember as much as I would like," I told him.

"So Eleazar has said," Artemis put a warm hand on my shoulder. "That is why we are here. To explain everything, dear one."

_Dear one_.

***

I found myself sitting on Esme's white couch once again, my nerves jumping with every breath I took. Apollo and Artemis sat on the ground in front of the couch, their legs crossed Indian-style. They looked completely out of place, despite the fact that their clothes blended in quite nicely with the rest of us. Both were garbed in plain white long-sleeved shirts; pale khaki pants graced Artemis' slim figure, and Apollo wore faded jeans. They were barefoot.

As the Cullens, Carmen, and Eleazar situated themselves around the room, Edward settled himself next to me, an arm over my bare shoulders. A stray finger began to twist itself in my hair, and I held back a smile at the simple, but meaningful, gesture.

"Where to begin?" asked Apollo, tilting his head to one side. He looked terribly deep in thought, and I wasn't sure if I was supposed to answer him or not.

Artemis leaned back, bracing herself on her arms. "I believe that would depend entirely on how much she _does_ recall, brother."

"True."

A silence filled the room as everyone turned to stare at me. I cleared my throat. "Well…I don't really remember much at all," I began. "I had a few flashbacks…but perhaps you should start at the beginning."

"That would probably be the wisest choice," Apollo agreed with me. His hands settled on his knees, and he closed his eyes, hiding their blue depths from the rest of us.

There was another moment of silence before he began, and I gripped Edward's hand tightly as Apollo's voice filled the room.

"We do not know where we come from. There are stories, naturally, of Mount Olympus and of living upon the clouds themselves. However, this was not until later in our history. We have been called many things besides gods and goddesses; fallen angels, for one. Perhaps it is merely our nature, but many of us prefer this point of view. Others of us think that we were sent here after the creation of the world, as guardians of God for the human race. Perhaps we are descendants of the angel sent to guard the entrance to Eden after the fall of Adam. Or merely a fluke in the creation design...we are not sure. No memories exist that far back.

"But there is one thing that we know for sure: we have power. A lot of it. Each of us was endowed with certain abilities that have been interpreted by humans as godly. To us, it is merely a part of life. For me, commanding the sun is merely a facet of my being, such as the beating of my heart, or the intake of breath to my lungs. I do not have to think on it…I do not have to act on it. It simply is. The story of my flaming chariot carting the sun across the heavens is mere fabrication and myth."

He opened his eyes, and glanced to his right. "It is the same for Artemis. The moon is simply a part of her."

Artemis nodded her agreement, her grey eyes deep with understanding. "It is so."

"Our existence was wonderful in the beginning. We ruled as powerful beings, and became gods in the eyes of mortals. Everything would have continued beautifully, except for our only problem: if we were too close to our soul-mate for too long of a time, each member of the pair would lose his and her immortality. It seemed logical, at first, because this way, the two could grow old together in peace. But being so closely connected as brothers, sisters, parents, and the like, it was difficult for us to lose one another. This is the reason why so many of us took lovers apart from each other, that we might preserve our immortality."

There was a pause as Apollo's eyes tightened, slight creases forming beneath them. He looked to be in pain, and I wondered if he was remembering an incident in his own life. The moment passed swiftly, and he continued.

"This, as you most likely have deduced, causes many problems. We eventually abandoned that road, and many of us have died as a result."

Another pause, and he exchanged glances with Artemis. I bit my lip again, immediately curious about those who remained. Artemis noticed the gesture, and smiled at me. "Patience, Aurora. We're getting to you."

I gave her what could pass as a smile. I wasn't quite sure if I liked the _Aurora_ bit yet.

"There are many other aspects that may take years for you to understand, so I will give you the briefest explanation I can," Apollo's eyes met mine. "There was a group of us left, about thirty or so gods and demigods, when we first noticed the flaw."

"Flaw?" I couldn't help but ask. "What flaw?"

His eyes turned up wryly. "Morpheus."

Next to me, Edward's brow crinkled. "Morpheus, the God of Dreams?"

"Yes. You know your history. Morpheus, our brother, was the God of Dreams and Sleep. Do you remember him, sister?"

I nodded. "A little, yes."

"Well, then. I take it you have read William Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_?"

My head reeled with the sudden change in subject matter. At the same time, my stomach lurched with the memories the play evoked. "Yes, of course," I managed to say, despite my discomfort.

"You will then remember, of course, the mention of Queen Mab," a sly grin crossed Apollo's handsome face.

Alice burst out laughing, and Edward chuckled next to me, the two of them obviously connecting the dots more quickly than the rest of us. I glanced at Carlisle and Esme, both of whom shrugged, before looking back at Apollo and Artemis. "Well, yes. But I don't see how—"

"Queen Mab is Morpheus," Artemis giggled, breaking her previously calm exterior.

My eyebrows shot up. "How do you mean?"

"Shakespeare mentioned Queen Mab, who was a legend of the times. Parents used to tell their children about her. She was a bit like the Sand-Man of later generations." Apollo's grin slowly began to widen. "Years before the birth of the Bard, our brother Morpheus disappeared, much as you later vanished. We found him reincarnated into the form of Queen Mab, the dream-weaver."

My mouth dropped open. "How did that happen?"

"We researched several theories throughout the years. We believe that due to Morpheus' nature of renewing the dreams of mortals each night, he himself was renewed into a new being, as Queen Mab. He had not found his soul-mate when he disappeared. It is my personal thought that he was meant to find his future spouse in later years, and that whatever entity guides us wanted him to be in a different place, at a different time. However, the fluke was obviously that he was transformed into a woman."

Finally understanding, I laughed. Everyone joined in, and for a split second, I felt as though we were all connected in a way we could not fathom. The merriment subsided eventually, and my newfound family regained their calm, assertive looks. "So how does Morpheus connect to my disappearance?" I asked.

Artemis sat up straighter, obviously ready to take over the relation of the story. "He's the link, Aurora. The two of you are the only ones like us who have had this happen to them. You have such similar qualities that this is the only logical explanation. Besides…" she smiled at Edward, "you obviously were meant to be here, now, despite the pain that it has caused the rest of us."

I looked up at Edward, whose face was trained on my sister's. His brow was smooth, but I could tell that he was trying to probe their minds. Unfortunately for him, he was obviously being blocked.

"What makes you think she was meant to be here?" Rosalie's voice broke into my perusal of Edward's features, and I glanced over my shoulder. She and Emmett were leaning against the wall behind me, their fingers laced together loosely. While Emmett looked genuinely interested in the conversation, Rosalie's pretty face was distorted by discontent.

Artemis raised a single perfectly-shaped eyebrow. "Have you not eyes? Look at the two of them," she extended a pale arm towards where Edward and I sat. "Destiny. One cannot argue with destiny. It is something that not even _we_ can overcome."

My eyes shot to Alice as Edward's hand fisted in my hair. The similarity of Artemis' words to what Alice had told me directly after the return of the Cullens was striking. She merely nodded to me in concurrence, and I made a mental note to think about that later.

As Artemis continued, I realized that Rosalie had fallen into her usual silence once again. "Do you begin to understand, sister?" she asked me.

I entwined my fingers with Edward's, suddenly eager for more contact. "I think so. A lot of things make more sense. But I still don't understand how I am similar to Morpheus, other than our disappearances," I confessed.

Apollo and Artemis shared other of their furtive looks with each other before Apollo answered me. "You _do_ remember what Artemis and I are, correct?"

I blinked at the obvious question and its obvious answer. "The Sun God and the Moon Goddess, respectively."

"If you are our sister, what does that make you?" Artemis prompted me, leaning forward a little.

"Um…" I tried to think back to my Greek mythology, but continued to draw a blank. "Didn't you say that we were _all_ related?"

"Yes," Apollo allowed, "but we more so than others."

I turned to Edward, who looked at me with a sly grin. "You know!" I accused him.

He nodded. "Yes, but I think you ought to try and figure it out on your own."

"He's right," agreed Artemis, her eyes shining with excitement. "It will have much more meaning if you find it out for yourself. You have the knowledge already. It is plain that you are a well-read girl. And you have the advantage of certain flashbacks. All you must do is to combine the two. Just think for a moment. Relax."

Taking her advice, I closed my eyes, enveloping myself in a world of darkness. "Well. I'm a Titan," I said, automatically remembering my conversations with Athena, when I had pondered the fact that I was older than the rest; more respected.

"Yes. All three of us are Titans," responded Apollo.

I took a deep breath, willing myself to remember a sister of the Sun God and Moon Goddess. "I honestly can't recall…" I admitted after a moment. I held back the flickers of frustration. "But I know that my powers control the weather."

Apollo snapped his fingers, and my eyes flew open. "There. That is what is missing!" he exclaimed. My brow furrowed in confusion, and he immediately continued. "The only display of your powers thus far in this life has been of those you adopted."

I heaved a sigh. "I don't see where you're going with this. I'm terribly sorry."

Artemis shifted, drawing her knees up to her chin. "As the members of our family died off, we took on their powers, to keep the tradition alive. Technically, it was not necessary, but we did not understand this at the time. Because of this, each of us has _multiple_ powers. For example, not only am I goddess of the moon, but also of the hunt, and of various other things. You, in your own turn, took on the abilities of deceased gods and goddesses."

"Oh…so what else is my power?" I fished for a hint.

"Well, it should be related to ours, don't you think?" Apollo guided my thoughts.

I nodded, biting my lips. Edward rubbed my shoulder soothingly with his cold hand as I racked my brain for something…anything. "Okay. Not the weather by itself then. Maybe something related to a planet…or a star…or—"

"Now you're over-thinking," Edward chuckled. "Try more towards earthly things."

I was beginning to get impatient, but I did my best to reel it in. _Why can't they just tell me?_ I fumed silently before going through my memories again, trying to find a clue. Any clue.

"Earthly. Okay." I automatically ruled out the Goddess of the Earth and the Goddess of the Harvest, remembering them vaguely from my flashbacks. "Earthly, but related to your powers? Tides. No…um…"

"Think towards the heavens," suggested Artemis. I stared blankly at her. _Earthly, but towards the heavens?_ _Now we're just going in circles._

I ground my teeth together, reminding myself not to get upset. Another moment passed with no success, before I finally lifted my hands into the air in surrender. "I don't know, okay? Twilight?" I threw out my final attempt at an answer.

There was silence before relieved smiles broke out over Apollo's, Artemis', and Edward's faces. "Close enough, brother. Wouldn't you agree, young man?" Artemis nodded to Edward.

Ducking his head so that his cool forehead touched my temple, Edward murmured a response, which I did not hear. I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts. _What the hell does twilight have to do with anything? I just mentioned it…it doesn't really have anything to do with __**anything**__, does it? _

"Twilight may be the closest you get to the result, Aurora. But consider your name," said Apollo as he gave me what appeared to be my last clue.

I opened my mouth to give a retort, but before I had the chance, everything was suddenly clear to me.

Aurora.

The key was in my name the entire time.

Aurora. Eos.

Dawn. The twilight of the morning hours.

I struggled for breath as I realized the implications of my identity. "I'm—the Goddess of the Dawn," I whispered.

* * *

**A/N:** Like? Hate? Meh? Reviews are love.

Speaking of reviews, I really want to thank all of you who review so faithfully, even when I'm not updating. It really inspires me to continue writing. I'd like to specifically mention **ShadeFighting300**, **dennis7474**, and of course, **Siobhan**. You guys always make me smile, for sure. There are lots of you out there who make me smile too, and if I had time, I'd make a whole list. As it is, I do answer each and every review to let you know how much I appreciate it. I also answer questions to the best of my ability, as long as it doesn't give away the ending. =)

So yeah, remember that one-shot that I said I was going to do before posting this chapter? It didn't happen…yet. Expect one in the near future! I've gotten some questions about other stories I'm going to write, but you'll just have to wait and see.

Speaking of questions, I've been made aware of several concerns regarding Jacob. I can't give too much away, but I just want to let everyone know that this is **not** a Jacob/Bella story. He's just her friend, and that's it. This is definitely Edward/Bella shipping going on here.

Speaking of Edward, I've been prompted by your enthusiastic response to that poll that was on my page, so _yes_, I will be writing a companion story to this. It will consist of other character's points of view regarding the phenomenon going on with Bella. Mostly it will be EPOV, but there will be others included as well. I'm not sure when I'll get started on that, be keep a weather eye open, mates. Thank you for participating in the poll!

And last, but not least, I'd like each and every one of you to go to my website right now. **www(dot)scatteredstardust16(dot)webs(dot)com**. Just replace the dots will real periods in your web browser. In the Twilight section, there's a new link with tons of explanations and things regarding Bella's past. I highly urge everyone to read it, as it may clarify several things. Of course, you can still send me a pm if you don't understand something. Happy reading! =P


	14. Flight

**Vampire Goddess**

A heartbroken Bella suffers a type of amnesia after the cliff-diving incident. But instead of erasing her memories, her illness brings to light a power she never knew she possessed.

* * *

I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the woman who ruined my life (Stephenie Meyer) by introducing me to the man I could never have (Edward Cullen).

_There are certain themes in this story that heavily reflect the film Hancock. I don't own that either, sadly enough._

**A/N:** Hi gang. *waves* Long time no see. =)

* * *

**Chapter 13: Flight**

There was a brief moment of silence before Apollo and Artemis nodded slowly in agreement. It was a confirmation that I no longer needed, however. I knew my identity.

I was Aurora. Eos. Dawn and sky. Mother of the winds.

Edward's arms moved swiftly, and his cold hands grasped my arms, turning me to face him. His visage was eager and full of light.

"At last you see…" he whispered. "So many things make sense now."

"Yes…" I concurred, feeling somewhat secure for the first time since I'd woken from my fitful sleep the night before. I chanced a glance at the others in the room, and saw that Eleazar, Carmen, and Alice were pleased by my revelation. Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett, on the other hand, looked just as confused as I had felt only seconds before.

"I'm rather ashamed to admit," Carlisle began, "that I'm not up to par on my mythology. I know most of the stories, but I'm afraid that the name 'Aurora' rings no bell." He paused for a second. "Obviously it means 'dawn', but could you perhaps elaborate?"

I exchanged glances with my brother and sister. They remained silent. It became obvious that the floor was now mine. I took a deep breath and Edward and I turned on the couch to face the others more easily. Edward rested his hand on my knee as though in reassurance. I didn't even have to meet his eyes again to know that he would fill in any gaps, should I forget something important in my spur-of-the-moment explanation.

"I remember so much more," I said by way of beginning, "I mean, there are still a bunch of things that I can't recall from either lifetime, but there are so many things that are clear now." I locked eyes with Carlisle, and a part of me realized that I was explaining myself mostly for his benefit…he, the most prominent father figure in what I recalled of my life.

"I am the sister of the Titans," I said. "I am the goddess that is best remembered by her Latin name, except perhaps for Neptune. I never like the name 'Eos'. 'Aurora' was so much more fitting…" I paused again, contemplating for a moment. Only a little before, I hadn't like it when Apollo or Artemis had called me by my given name. And yet now, everything was different.

"It was my task to banish Nix—that is, the guardian of the night—and awaken my brother each morning. I had the power to beautify the dawn and make each morning worth awakening to. Although the Greeks and Romans illustrate each god and goddess as actually working to display their powers, we had learned that all we had to do was think it into being…"

I took a breath, wondering just how far into detail they expected me to go, just as I began to realize that I was starting to sound like an encyclopedia. My breath caught in my throat. Just how much was the person inside me—the real me—going to take over the other me…Bella Swan? How were these two completely different personas going to mesh in one body, fitting two sets of memories into one mind? And then the most disturbing question stabbed my psyche: which of the two had Edward fallen in love with? Aurora the goddess, or Bella the human?

Before I could properly process these new concerns, Eleazar jumped in. "Sorry to interrupt," he crooned in his suave accent, "but there is a question that I've been wanting to put to you for some time."

_Of course you have…_

"And what might that be?" I managed to ask.

"I've always been curious as to your side of the story regarding what happened with you, Ares, and Aphrodite."

Edward stiffened beside me, and his hand tightened (albeit, nearly imperceptibly) on my knee. Picking up on the tension, my own back straightened and I bit my lip. Indeed…how convenient that I was now perfectly able to recall the one memory that I wished to forget. Apparently, Edward remembered this facet of Aurora's history as well as I did, and did not like it.

"Erm…" I stumbled, trying to think of a way out of having to explain the affair that I had had with Ares, Aphrodite's lover. My relationship with Edward newly reborn, not even a full three days old, had the great possibility of fragility, and I had no wish to anger him or cause him pain. Haltingly, I met his gaze, and found frustration itself staring back at me.

"Go on, Bella. Tell them all about Ares," his voice was more derisive than I'd anticipated. Taken aback, I just sat there watching his face. It was unlike Edward to display just how jealous he truly was.

"Edward…" I said cautiously, "all of that happened centuries ago. You weren't even born—"

"So that makes it all okay?" he countered, pulling his hand away defensively in a surprisingly human gesture.

"This is not the time to argue," Esme interrupted Edward's small tirade. "We have company."

I resisted a wry smile. Esme, the perpetual mother, held such a sway over her adopted family. Edward immediately wiped all traces of emotion from his face, assuming that blank masked look that I hated so much.

Although I sensed a future argument pulsating from him, I decided to just go ahead and say what the rest of the room was dying to hear.

"Well, this is what happened," I started to explain as my eyes moved back to Eleazar's. "Ares was Aphrodite's lover, as the stories accurately portray. But Aphrodite by nature was an amorous being, as everyone knows. She, um…always had more than one partner, but none of them could be with anyone else, except for her. Ares was a complete choleric, though. He was so hot tempered that he couldn't stand the fact that she wasn't keeping their relationship monogamous. So he went looking for a bit of revenge…retribution…whatever you want to call it."

I bit my lip for the hundredth time that day; the old sentiments came rushing back, and my hold on my temper, being somewhat weakened by the display of Edward's envy, and my worry regarding his feelings towards my complex identity, started to falter.

"I don't know why he picked me. I'll never understand it. But he did. And, well…" I heaved a sigh filled with regret and the old pent-up anger.

"Well, what?"

I was so shocked to hear Rosalie's voice that I just stared at her. She actually sounded interested. "What happened?" she pushed, her tone a bit harder this time.

"He seduced me. We had an affair." I put it bluntly, not seeing a more tasteful way to explain.

"Woah!" Emmett's eyebrows shot up. "That's hot—ooph!" he grunted as Rosalie jabbed him with her elbow.

Eleazar's eyes found mine again before drifting past me to those of his old friends. They remained silent, sitting as still as statues.

"Some of the stories say differently…" Eleazar prodded softly.

"The stories are wrong," Apollo abruptly came to my defense, somewhat unnecessarily.

I said nothing, willing the awkward silence that followed Apollo's words to be enough to move the conversation onto something a bit less personal. _But no…_

"So that would explain why her first flashbacks were sexual encounters?" asked Carlisle, addressing Eleazar.

"Yes," Eleazar continued to stare at me, and I shifted under his gaze.

_This has gone far enough, thank you_.

Alice, having been quiet for too long, finally jumped in. "It also explains why she is who she is."

"That is _so_ not the intervention I wanted," I muttered under my breath.

"What do you mean, dearest?" Esme looked at her dark-haired daughter.

"Well, I guess you didn't know, but basically Eos, or Aurora," Alice dramatically inserted quotation marks with her fingers when she said the latter, "was cursed by Aphrodite when the jealous bitch found out about the affair."

My cheeks flooded with color. Although the logical part of my mind quickly deduced that Edward already knew this part of the story as well, there was something terrible about having it said out loud. I avoided everyone's curious gazes, focusing on the carpet where my newly found siblings were seated.

"Cursed?" Esme's voice was laced with obvious concern for me. "What do you mean?"

Alice, who sounded pleased at having this bit of information, proceeded. "Aphrodite was so upset when she found out about her lover having _another_ lover that she put a curse on Bella, who was _the other woman_. Basically, since Eos had always been a chaste goddess, Aphrodite turned the tables on her. I would assume that she basically said 'You want lovers? You got 'em!' She made it so that Eos would always need young lovers…that she would always awaken desire in men, whether she wanted to or not. It became her nature."

I could feel Apollo's and Artemis' eyes on me as well, and I stubbornly refused to look up. This was the most embarrassing aspect of my existence, and it was an unspoken rule among the pantheon that it was never discussed or disclosed between the gods. How the mortals had found out about it and incorporated it into their legends was beyond me.

_The cursing of a Titan, the most revered…_

The energy in the room was almost static after Alice's part of the story. Staggered breathing was the only sound, and after I could bear it no longer, I raised my head. "Let's just—let's just not talk about this again, okay?" my voiced was slightly shaky, tainted with my mortification.

"Bella, we can't just ignore it!" Edward protested at my side. "It's not as though it never happened—"

_That does it_. The last thing I needed right now was an argument with Edward. My hands started to shake as I tried to keep a mental grip on my anger.

"Edward, please…" I said.

Springing up from the couch, he loomed over me. "Bella, what do you expect me to do?" his voice grew steadily louder.

I pressed my palms to the sides of my head, starting to feel overwhelmed. "Edward, not now, please…I can't handle this—"

"So I'm supposed to be okay with this? I'm supposed to be just dandy with the fact that you always need to have a male…companion? Maybe that's why you spent so much time with Jacob Black," his tone was accusing.

My eyes snapped up to his. The room was deathly silent for what appeared to be at least the tenth time that morning. When I spoke, my voice was low and even, and I had a feeling that it was far more foreboding and dangerous sounding than any yelling I had ever done. "Don't. Don't bring Jacob into this."

He stood above me, his fierce eyes boring into mine. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him clench his fists tightly, and it seemed as though he were squeezing the very air out of my lungs, and constricting my heart so that it could no longer beat.

Suddenly gasping for breath, and trying to ward off another tantrum, I jumped up from the couch.

_I have to get away_.

Apollo and Artemis seemed to be unaffected by this turn of events; they sat quietly on the floor, watching us with vacant, disinterested expressions on their lovely faces. I spun on my heel, and Edward took a step back, almost cautiously. The Cullens and our guests stared at me just as intently as before, but with the same air of caution that Edward had just adopted.

"I—I need to think—" was all I could blurt out. "I'll be back for lunch, Esme."

And with that, I bolted for the front door. Within a few seconds, I found myself outside, miraculously accident-free. _How did I do that so fast?_ Pushing the thought away for later, I tilted my head up, and took deep breaths of fresh air.

_One…two…three…four…_

I tried my counting method from earlier, but the impending temper tantrum pushed closer and closer. Tears filled my eyes, and I swallowed thickly. The happiness I'd felt from the night before, from my time with Edward, and from only moments ago, when I'd remembered who I was had vanished completely. It was too much to take in…

My knees started to shake with the intensity of the emotions coursing through me. Anger, disappointment, disbelief…and on the edges, that elation and excitement. It was _not _ a good mix. I bit my lip so hard that it almost bled.

_I have to __**do**__ something._

I sensed that no one in the house had followed me, but I glanced over my shoulder just in case. The door hung wide open from when I'd run out, but I didn't see anyone lurking on the porch, or in the entry. In a split-moment decision, the muscles in my back grew taut, and my wings emerged in a flurry of white feathers.

Rolling my shoulders experimentally, I felt some of the tension from what had appeared to be my inevitable tantrum start to disappear. I spread my wings, relishing the feel of extending them out. It almost felt like stretching after a nice long nap. Yet again, my body seemed to know what to do with them, and I gave a few tentative flaps.

It felt _so_ good. Almost as though I didn't have to hold back from something. With a rush of energy, I sprang upwards, my wings moving almost of their own accord, and then I was up and off the ground, suspended in the air, going higher and higher as the feathers at my back fluttered furiously. I laughed aloud with exhilaration, at the freedom this offered me. The physical movement seemed to sap my anger of its dangerous potency, leaving me with only a small pin-prink of annoyance at the back of my mind.

My lungs filled with air, and I spread my arms out.

_I'm flying…I'm __**flying**__! Holy crow! _

I found quickly that I could change my course simply by tilting either shoulder in the direction I wished to go. The wings were much easier to maneuver than I'd expected, and I instinctively leaned forward in the air so that my body was horizontal. This made the going much faster, and I probably would look more like a bird than a suspended marionette should anyone see me…

"Shit!" I gasped aloud, as the realization tumbled into my thoughts. I couldn't very well let anyone see me, now could I? That would be some explanation right there.

Trying to get a bearing on my surroundings, I chanced a look down at the ground, and inhaled sharply. I was much further up off the ground than I'd originally thought, and a slight wave of vertigo hit me. In fact…_where's the house?_ All there appeared to be beneath me was a sea of trees. _Shit_. _How long have I been up here?_

Now feelings dangerously dizzy, I brought the beating of my wings down a notch, and started to descend as quickly as I dared. A cold breeze blasted through my hair just then, making the dizziness more acute, and giving me goose bumps.

_Close your eyes. No, no, don't close your eyes! _Forcing my eyes open, I scanned the ground for a place to land, and saw a small clearing. Desperate to get down, I circled lower as quickly as I could; when I was no more than six feet above the forest floor, my wings gave out, and I fell forward onto the hard ground, my legs breaking my fall.

Groaning with discomfort, I rearranged myself so that I was kneeling, with my hands on the leaf-covered ground in front of me. My knees ached, but luckily, I didn't feel as though anything was broken. Breathing evenly through my nose, I willed the vertigo to go away. Pressure pushed at my temples, and my neck got that wobbly feeling that I always experienced just before fainting. Panic immediately set in, and lights flashed behind my closed eyelids. What if I collapsed out here, in the middle of the woods? Would anyone come to find me? Would Edward to able to track my scent since I'd traveled through the air?

Unstable Bella roughly pushed assured Aurora out of my mind, and although a part of me knew full well that Alice would probably be able to see where I was, my human insecurities were assuming command at the moment. My chest seemed to tighten at the very thought of being left alone in the forest. It was so like what had happened…when he left.

Swallowing convulsively, I shuddered and leaned forward so that my hot forehead touched the cold, wet grass and leaves beneath me. The change in temperature seemed to help my light headedness, and I began to breathe more easily.

"Okay," I whispered aloud. "I'm okay."

"Are you?"

The voice came from the trees at the edge of the clearing. Startled, I raised my head too swiftly, and moaned at the pain that the movement brought. Blinking, I tried to focus my gaze, and too my surprise, I saw Leah Clearwater standing in the shadows.

"Leah?" I croaked. She glared at me, a haughty look on her beautiful, exotic face.

"So Jake was right…" she began, stepping out into the pale light, mottled by the clouds and branches over us.

"What?" my dizziness was starting give way to pure curiosity. _Jake was talking about me?_ _I hope he didn't say anything about—_

_Crap. My __**wings**_.

With yet another stab of panic, I realized that my wings were still out and exposed, free for Leah to see.

"You're a _freak_," her beautiful face curled into a sneer as she practically spat the last word out.

"No, no," I shook my head as I tried to get to my feet. "Jake wouldn't say that…listen, Leah, this isn't what you th—"

"It's not what I think? Is that what you were going to say? Well, you're wrong. It's exactly what I think. I know what you're doing," she said as she stalked forward. Having just clambered to my feet, I reeled back at her sudden approach. My head throbbed.

Her shoulders trembled as her voice grew steadily more emphatic. "You're doing to him what Sam did to me. How _dare_ you?"

My heart thundered in my ears. "No, it's not like that. You don't understand." My voice was surprisingly calm.

"I understand perfectly!" she practically yelled as she got closer and closer. The breeze picked up again, whipping her long black hair around her shoulders, and blowing mine back behind me. "You're leaving him for _them_. After everything he and the pack have done for you!"

Everything slowed down in that one instant as we stared at each other. I spoke hesitantly. "You know about the pack?"

"I know more than I'd care to," for a moment, her voice was no longer angry—just sad.

"What aren't you telling me, Leah?" I asked, my gaze darting around the clearing.

"Don't you see what your leach friends are doing to us?" her scathing tone had returned full force, and her black eyes gleamed in the half light. "_I'm_ transforming. _Me_. I'm going to be the first werewolf girl the pack has ever had, thanks to those blood suckers. Do you have any idea how painful this is?"

_Why didn't Jacob tell me? _"You're transforming? Leah…Leah, I'm sorry, but that isn't the Cullens' fault! You know it isn't. It's Victoria—"

She took another step forward, nearly her entire frame shaking with her anger. A flash of fear went through me as I instantly recalled Jacob's transformation process, and its connection to his outbursts.

"You're right," she said. "It's because _Victoria_ is coming after _you_ that I'm going through this. This is all your fault!" she jabbed her index finger in my direction, and she suddenly didn't look so beautiful anymore.

Before I could respond, she grimaced, her features contorting hideously. Gasping, I realized with a start that she was transforming, and that I was entirely too close to her. Taking a step back, I watched in horror as she burst out of her own skin, her clothes flying every which way. Her left arm whooshed past me, sharp nails shooting from her hand, and I felt a stinging pain down my right arm.

A second later, a small grey werewolf crouched in front of me, where Leah's human figure had stood. She looked up at me with those big black eyes, growling. I should have been terrified, but instead I only felt pity. Her growl wasn't menacing…instead, it was full of hurt. It was the sort of growl that someone might hear from an injured or scared dog.

I briefly considered trying to comfort her, before I realized that I was shaking. And there was pain. In shock, I followed Leah's gaze to my right arm, where there were now two long gashes, oozing red. Feeling sick to my stomach, I realized that I was losing a lot of blood, and probably wasn't going to be able to fly back to the house.

The thick and obtrusive metallic smell of iron filled my nostrils, and I fought back a gag. The red life from my veins was bright against my pale skin, and I couldn't stop staring at it. It trickled down, staining my jeans, and as I fell to my knees, I groaned in disgust.

I heard a whimper, and I managed to tear my eyes away from my damaged, pulsating arm. Leah was inching closer to me, and I had the distinct impression that she was sorry. I tried to form some words, but my throat was closing up. My head felt lighter than a balloon, and I began to sway.

I tilted to the side, unable to stop myself, and as I collapsed onto the cold earth, my vision started to give out.

The last thing I heard before everything went black was the lonely howl of a wolf.

* * *

**A/N: **I don't have a good excuse for why it took so long...so I'm not even going to try. But I will say that this was a very difficult chapter to write. And many thanks to my new beta, Misty, for waiting so patiently and being an all-around awesome girl. =P

Check my profile for links to stuff...just do it.


	15. Walk

**Vampire Goddess**

A heartbroken Bella suffers a type of amnesia after the cliff-diving incident. But instead of erasing her memories, her illness brings to light a power she never knew she possessed.

* * *

_I do not own Twilight. It belongs to the woman who ruined my life (Stephenie Meyer) by introducing me to the man I could never have (Edward Cullen)._

_There are certain themes in this story that heavily reflect the film Hancock. I don't own that either, sadly enough._

**A/N: **Hi people. Notes at the bottom. Read on.

* * *

**Chapter 14: Walk**

It was entirely too quiet and I didn't like it at all. The quiet did nothing to assuage the pain I felt in my right arm. It was a tingling pain, irritating and randomly stabbing. The quiet should have brought some peace to my mind, but it only made me angry.

I fought to open my eyes. Where was I that the only sound was my own breath? And that hardly counted, it was so shallow.

Unexpectedly, cold hands touched the pain. The wound. I remembered that the wound was from Leah. Two long gashes…Leah was a werewolf.

The cold helped, but it was still quiet. I took a deep breath, and my ears popped.

Sound assaulted me from every side. People were talking, loud and soft, and the cold pressure on my arm backed off a little bit.

"Bella?"

"Aurora!"

"Can you hear me? Wake up, dear, wake up."

I opened my eyes, startled. I found myself lying on my back, propped up slightly by pillows that were almost too soft to be real. I was surrounded by concerned eyes; eyes that probed and worried and sort of scared me. A quick glance around the room confirmed that I was reclined on Esme and Carlisle's bed, and that everyone was in there with me.

Except for Edward.

His absence cut me, and I almost gasped aloud from the pain.

Carlisle put his hand on my forehead, and silenced the others with a look. "Bella, how do you feel?"

"How did I get here?" I asked, ignoring his question.

_Who found me? Edward? What went through his mind, seeing me collapsed on the forest floor, oozing blood like the pitiful human I am? Some powers. A lot of good they did me. I can't even stand up to a werewolf._

"How do you feel?" he insisted.

My jaw tensed. Where was Edward?

I looked at my siblings. They stared back. Alice linked eyes with me. "Where is he?" I asked.

"In his room. But he's really messed up, Bella. He—"

"Bella, you need to tell me how you feel," Carlisle interrupted, his voice firm and full of warning. "I don't know how your changed body will react to a werewolf-inflicted abrasion."

I sighed. "I feel okay, I guess. But how did I get back to the house?"

"Jacob Black found you. It's a good thing he brought you back to us, otherwise this might have gotten infected." Carlisle probed the wound on my arm, and I looked at it for the first time since waking up. It was obvious Carlisle had worked on it—neat stitches held my delicate skin together. He must have given me a shot right before waking up, because my arm was starting to feel numb.

"Jacob brought me?" my voice sounded remarkable small and meek. I felt like a fool. How many times had he saved my life now?

"Yes. Your friend is quite interesting," Apollo said. I looked at him again. He stood awkwardly at the foot of the bed, Artemis poised lightly by his side.

"Who hurt you?" Esme asked, her voice fiercer than was normal for her sweet demeanor.

"Leah. Leah's a werewolf," it sounded sillier aloud than in my mind.

"Leah Clearwater? But I wasn't aware that there were any female werewolves," Carlisle handed me a few pills that looked like Tylenol, and a glass of water.

I shrugged, and took the pills. My swallowing sounded ridiculously loud in the quiet that followed. I blushed, and tugged lightly on a strand of my long hair.

"Well, one good thing has come of your werewolf interlude, at any rate," Artemis smiled at me, and I was dazzled by her beauty.

"What's that, oh mighty goddess?" Rosalie snarled from the back of the room. "The last thing we need is problems with the wolves. Jacob Black should never have trespassed on our property."

Artemis didn't turn around, but I saw some amusement in her eyes as she sat on the end of the bed. She was so light that it hardly dipped with her weight. "It enforces what I said about you and Edward being soul-mates."

I barked out a harsh laugh, my insides churning unhappily. "I don't know about that. He's not even in the room." I said it, even though I knew that he could hear me from where he was in his room. I ached to go find him, but I let the acid seep into my voice anyway.

"That's not what I mean, Aurora. If he weren't your soul-mate, you wouldn't have been injured by the werewolf. You would have withstood the attack without a scratch. This shows that your powers are slowly fading."

I studied the baby blue coverlet beneath my knees. "So you're saying that my proximity to Edward is making my powers disappear?"

"Yes. It will happen very slowly, but as you can see, you _were_ injured. One of _us_ would not have been," she gestured to herself and to Apollo.

"What does that make me then?" I asked angrily. "You guys _just_ told me that I'm one of you. And now you're saying I'm not? I'm tired of this merry-go-round."

I hadn't even realized it until the words came out of my mouth. But there it was. Even though I'd initially felt more confident knowing about my past, the incident with the flying and the woods and the werewolf had shown me that I still didn't know who I was. I was Aurora and Bella. Two people with two distinct personalities trapped in one body. The constant change was dizzying, and I wasn't comfortable with it.

_Either I'm a goddess, or I'm a human_.

"That makes you a demi-god, for the time being. You're neither goddess nor human. You're in transition, although technically you're probably more goddess than human right now. A human would have been torn to shreds," Alice piped up again.

Human-goddess. Great.

The conflicting emotions warred inside me, and I couldn't decide if I was angry or not. There was no burning in my eyes, or desire for a thunderstorm, so I figured that I probably wasn't. Sighing, I slipped off of the bed.

"Where are you going?" Jasper asked, probably dying to leave the room himself. My recent wound, coupled with my crazy emotions was most likely making his head hurt again.

"To speak with Edward," I answered calmly. I said it more for Edward's benefit than for anyone else's. I wanted him to know that I was coming.

"Bella, I'm not sure that's the best idea," Alice offered helpfully. "He's not—"

"I don't care, Alice," I snapped, eyes narrowing as everyone else's widened. "I need to talk to him. Excuse me."

I stormed out of the room, my tangled hair brushing against my bare back with every step. I tugged at the high collar, wishing that I'd just worn a normal shirt instead of this ridiculous pink contraption.

My sensitive ears picked up on the sounds of some bad 80s music coming from his room. It was playing very softly, and once again I marveled at my new ability to pick up on it. As I neared the room, I could tell that he knew I was there. He said nothing, and neither did I. I stood awkwardly outside the door, my hand poised to knock.

Soul-mates.

I lowered my hand, waited a few heartbeats, then whispered. "Edward."

"Come in, Bella," he whispered in return.

I opened the door slowly, slid in, and closed it behind me. My eyes were trained on the carpet, but the intensity of his gaze forced me to look at him. "Hey," I greeted lamely, assessing the damage, so to speak, as my eyes roved over his body. He was sitting on the edge of his couch, his hair spiked up from obvious gripping and running-through of fingers. His expression was pained and concerned, and above all, intensely guilty.

I worried my lower lip, making it hurt, increasing the pain so that I couldn't feel the irritating and growing numbness of my injury. I cleared my throat, and had to remind myself that this was Edward. Edward who'd left to protect me, who had returned to save me, and whom I'd forgiven a little hastily; but in some convoluted way that I didn't really understand, it was all okay...because we were soul-mates.

"Hi," he answered, his own eyes moving over me at vampire speed. He stared at my arm. "Oh, Bella," his voice softened. "Does it hurt?"

"It's starting to get a little numb," I answered. In the split second that it took me to blink, he was suddenly in front of me, cradling my arm, inspecting it with doctor's eyes. The cold felt marvelous, but I tried not to jump. Even with my powers, his swift movements were startling if I wasn't prepared with my pointer finger on my mental slow-mo remote.

"Bella," he began, just as I started with "I wanted to—"

We laughed lightly together at our awkwardness, and it helped to break the ice a little bit. He still held on to my arm, and I looked up into his strained, sad face. "You first," he invited, not bothering to put on a mask of indifference, as he had so many time in our past. It was a step forward, in my opinion, even if Alice thought that he was messed up.

"Okay...um," I licked my lips, thinking. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for storming off like that...and I think that we need to have a long talk."

"I agree," he said immediately. "Why don't we take a walk?"

I glanced out the huge window, and nodded. Forks was its usual dreary self. No rainbows and sunshine today. "Sure. Just let me grab a sweater or something, okay?"

"Of course. I'll meet you in the back yard..." Edward replied slowly, obviously not wanting to let go of my arm. He did, though, when I stepped backwards, nearly colliding with the door. He moved swiftly, opening it for me, and I managed a tight smile. My soul-mate would apparently never stop being a gentleman, even in the middle of a fight...if that's what this was.

I walked out into the hall, and Edward passed me, sending a shy and somewhat sad look my way as he went down the stairs, giving me the moment I'd asked for. I started back towards Carlisle's and Esme's room, unsure as to whether I had any clothes here. I didn't need to wonder much longer, though, because Alice appeared out of nowhere, holding up a light jacket and an umbrella.

"You'll need this," she said with an unconcealed grin, obviously in a good mood even though I'd practically yelled at her not five minutes before. "Trust me." She wrapped me in the jacket, taking care of my arm, and thrust the umbrella into my hand. "Have fun," she winked, and flitted down the corridor to her and Jasper's room. At that very moment, I suddenly felt calm and happy. I tried to frown, turning away.

I walked down to the back door slowly, hating the fact that Jasper was soothing me, and he wasn't even in the room. I could unmistakably feel his influence as I opened the door from the kitchen, and was enswathed in the cold, but somehow sticky, air of the evening. His empathy even made the tingling numbness of my wound less noticeable. I took a deep breath, my eyes finding Edward at the edge of the river that coursed past. He was as still as a statue, frozen in the dusky pink light. I concentrated for a moment, and pressed my mental fast-forward button. I found myself moving swiftly to his side, and I could tell by the look on his face that I'd succeeded in moving much more quickly than he was used to.

He cleared his throat, and proposed, "Shall we walk along the river?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak as I went over my thoughts. I didn't need to be afraid of talking with him, I knew that. More than one source now confirmed that we were meant to be together. That knowledge helped, but I still felt the angry buzzing bees in my stomach that tend to accompany any kind of confrontation.

We moved in near silence; the only noise was the crunch of my shoes against the grass and the early-evening crickets. The water rushed past us, too, it's swishing, undulating voice a strange kind of backdrop.

Once the house had disappeared from view, I gave myself a mental what-the-hell slap, and turned my head towards Edward. "This is silly," I said.

He gave a sigh of agreement, a tired smile gracing his serious, handsome face. "It is," he nodded. "I've been meaning to say for the last five minutes that I want to apologize for not being there when you awoke...there was no good reason for me to go hide in my room like a child."

"Edward. Can I go first?" I asked, suddenly realizing that I was bursting with concerns and that if I didn't voice them immediately, I might never get the chance to. With his vampire memory, Edward would have no trouble saying his bit five or ten minutes from now, but with my luck, I'd forget the perfect wording I'd worked out during the awkward silence.

"Certainly," he acquiesced, obviously understanding why I needed my time to speak first. Under normal circumstances this might have made me giddy, to know that he knew me, could read me, so well. Today, it merely conjured a weak smile.

"Knowing who I am…or who I was, anyway, should have made things clearer. And it did, for a moment," I watched the current as I spoke. "But now I think that it's only complicated everything. I feel like I'm battling for dominance against my other half. Against Aurora. It didn't seem like it at first, but the more I think about it, the more I feel it. There's Bella, the human…and how can she compare with Aurora the goddess?"

I chanced a glance at him. His eyes were trained on my face, serious and calm. I chewed on my bottom lip for a moment before continuing. "I guess that doesn't make much sense, because I'm only supposed to be one person, but I sort of wish I didn't know about my past. I wish I'd never jumped off that cliff, because then I probably never would have found out. I wouldn't know about Artemis or Apollo, or any of them. I wouldn't know about Ares."

My eyes found Edward's, and I saw pain there. I kept talking, on a roll now. "And that's something else that's been bothering me, especially since this morning. I was already self-conscious enough about that silly flashback in the meadow. I was terrified about having to tell everyone about the sex and the orgasm, and then it goes and gets broadcast by Eleazar and my…_family_. I hate that you're so jealous about something that happened centuries ago!"

His mouth opened, automatically wanting to defend himself, but I held up a hand. "I'm not done. We _just_ fixed ourselves, Edward. You just got back and I just forgave you. Doesn't it seem a little irrational for you to be so envious of a mere memory? Ares is dead, now. You don't have anything to worry about. And that's something else! You already knew about Ares, because you had already figured out which goddess I was. Why didn't you and Alice tell me? Why did I have to go through all the suspense and the agony, when all I want is for us to be normal? I don't want Apollo and Artemis here with us. I don't want Eleazar and Carmen to visit anymore. I want them all to leave so that you and I can be alone and just…_be_."

I felt tears start to form, but I held them back with all my willpower. My hair blew around me as the breeze picked up, and Edward's eyes were soft, dark, and intense, and I stared.

He took a deep breath. "Bella, I'm so sorry." His fingers twitched, and I knew that he wanted to reach out and touch me. The softness turned to a tortured look. "If I'd known that this was how you felt…I guess you and I have never been good with real communication, have we?"

I shook my head. "No," I whispered.

The twitching fingers became a fist, and my eyes locked onto his pale, strong hand. He followed my gaze, and the fist relaxed. He started walking a little more quickly, and I tried to keep pace. My arm quivered with the strange numbness, and my other hand gripped the umbrella. "Bella, I don't know what to say. I don't even deserve the right to explain myself to you."

I resisted rolling my eyes at his predictable self-deprecation. "Try," my tone was more encouraging than I was myself.

He sighed before launching into what I know he'd been thinking about since this morning. "I'm worried that Apollo and Artemis are going to try to take you away from me. Bella, we've barely been reunited, and I don't think that I could survive being separated from you again. It nearly killed both of us the last time…what if it happens again?"

Before I could respond to his anguished voice, he continued. "I know it wasn't rational of me to be jealous of what happened all those years ago with Ares. I suppose I'm not really jealous, but I couldn't help my reaction, love. Aurora has a certain nature…and you took me back so quickly, _too_ quickly to be true, and I think that it's because the Aurora-side of you has emerged. What if I'm just one man on your long list of lovers? What's going to happen when you leave me? Even though the ideas of being able to hear your thoughts and you living forever without being a vampire were wonderful, I couldn't bring myself to share with you what I knew, because I was afraid that saying it aloud would make it real."

My mouth fell open in shock and I halted where I stood. "How could you think that? Edward, I would never leave you! Yeah, the goddess stuff is cool, but…you're the only thing I want." My eyes filled with tears, and before I knew what was happening, they were spilling down my face. Edward turned to me, his hands cupping my face, trying to wipe the signs of my distress away.

"You have me."

"I know," I wailed as a gentle shower began to fall, the weather still mimicking me.

"Then why are you crying?" his face was sweet and beautiful and the best thing I'd ever seen, and the tears wouldn't stop.

"I'm scared, Edward," I managed to say. "I don't want them to take me away. I don't want to have two people inside of me. I don't want those memories of Ares and the other men. I just want memories of _you_. You're the only one—it's only ever been you."

The rain was chilling and soaking. His hands left my face for a millisecond, and the umbrella opened over our heads. He put the handle back into my limp grip softly. "Oh, Bella. I won't let anyone take you away from me. You're the only one for me, too."

And then his mouth covered mine as the rain fell around us. It was a tender, temperate kiss, but full of emotion and longing. It was perfect, just like the man that held me in his arms, his embrace cradling my body just right. My heart was static, pounding loudly, and I thought it might explode from the sentiments running rampant through it. He pulled back from the kiss slightly, and smiled against my lips.

"Your heart…it anchors me."

We were soul-mates. We didn't even have to say it. No more discussion was needed.

Our hearts—his silent one and my erratic one—were connected.

* * *

**A/N:** Hugs and tackleglomps to my beta, **Misty**. Virtual kisses to all my lovely readers. I know I haven't been around that much lately, but your constant support is very encouraging. I suffered the death of a friend in November and just couldn't find the inspiration to write, but I think our vampire goddess Bella is going to get the rest of her story now. There is no set timeline, but my hope is that I'll be able to update at least once or twice a week. No promises—just hope.

I know that I used to respond to every review, but I've gotten so many lately that I kind of got behind. But please know that I do read them, and I'll try to get back into the habit of responding again. They always make my day.

Siobhan, could you email me at **the_eglantine_author(at)yahoo(dot)com**? I have a question I need to ask you!

A few people have mentioned The Glove Awards to me, saying I was nominated…however, VG isn't listed yet. Help me out and nominate this story for the Best OOC Award! www(dot)thegloveawards(dot)webs(dot)com/nominate(dot)htm. The deadline for nominations is July 31st.


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